PUDUCHERRY: At least ten residents from the Govinda Salai area in Puducherry were admitted to Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute on Monday with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting, raising concerns over possible contamination in the local drinking water supply.
The residents complained that the drinking water had a foul odour, and many began experiencing symptoms shortly after consuming it. Several others in the area have reportedly shown similar signs of illness, although they have not yet sought hospital care.
Opposition leader R Siva who visited the hospital said that residents of Mookumuthu Mariamman Kovil Road and surrounding areas in the Govindasalai locality have expressed serious concern over the condition of the drinking water infrastructure. He pointed out that water pipelines in the area were laid nearly 50 years ago and have become corroded, potentially leading to contamination.
“The Public Works Department must urgently assess and upgrade the pipelines, especially in older parts of the city,” Siva stated. He also criticized the administration for imposing higher drinking water taxes than many other states while failing to provide safe water to its citizens. “The government must act on a war footing to resolve this issue,” he said.
“A team will be sent to the area to take samples of the water and test it for contamination “, Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr S Sevvel said.