Water in Gurugarm society unfit for consumption, says report

Gurugram, May 30

Two days after 100 residents were taken ill, the Gurugram Health Department has declared the water being provided in the society was unfit for consumption. The report of the water samples collected by the Health Department released today clearly highlighted that water was unfit for drinking, though it has not clarified any specific pollutant or contamination.

“The water is unfit and we have forwarded the report to officials concerned. We cannot comment any further on the level, source or kind of contamination,” said CMO Dr Virender Yadav. Meanwhile, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development authority that is the primary water supplier to the society, has refuted being responsible about the same and held the society responsible for poor water quality. It has even issued direction of maintaining water hygiene for all societies based on this incident. It has directed all local authorities, developers and RWAs to carry out disinfection or chlorination before supplying stored water.

“We have found that the TDS value of the water supplied internally by the society is higher than the TDS value of GMDA water, which has indicated the mixing of water from other source. The survey on the master water supply lines of GMDA leading towards the area concerned has also been completed but no source of any contamination has been found. Perhaps the issue of contamination can take place in the underground or overhead storage tanks of the society or may lie in the mixing of borewell water installed in the society premises. Additionally, due to lack of use of any kind of disinfection to the stored water before supplying the same to the residents can also be a cause,” read an official statement issued by GMDA.

The authority also said they had been closely monitoring the issue of water contamination, which was reported from DLF Westend society. A senior health department official on condition of anonymity said that it was not just high TDS which caused mass infection but it was bacterial infection.

Meanwhile, GMDA issued a list of directives to all societies. It was two days ago that residents of Westend Heights, DLF, phase 5, started falling ill together. Around 100 residents complained of diarrohea and a child was hospitalised. The civic authorities then conducted water sampling and examination.