Gurugram: Water contaminated? Many Westend residents fall ill

GURUGRAM: Around 100 residents of Westend Heights in DLF-5, including several children, have fallen ill over past two days, allegedly due to contaminated drinking water. Residents complained of vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and dehydration and said a two-year-old child was admitted to a nearby private hospital on Friday.
A team from the health department arrived at the condominium and took samples of the water on Friday for testing. “Our team has collected water samples and the report is expected to come by Monday. Around 1,500 residents live in the condo. We have set up a health camp in which a team of doctors is examining residents. A toral of 96 residents have received medical attention in the camp so far. Most of them complained about pain in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting,” chief medical officer Virender Yadav said.
Anita Capoor, a resident, they initially blamed their ill health to the weather or something they ate. “We didn’t realise that it was due to the water until Thursday afternoon, when everybody started posting on social media about falling ill in all five towers of the condo. My husband and daughter have fallen sick too. While action has been taken by the RWA after it came to their notice, we now have to find out the reason,” she said.
Meanwhile, GMDA, which supplies water to the area, maintained everything is fine from their side. “We have strict protocols in place and water is tested regularly at the water treatment plant. There is a possibility of mismanagement in the internal water distribution system and storage, as the same water is being supplied to other parts of the city,” a senior GMDA official said.
Priti Anand, secretary of Westend Heights RWA, said: “My domestic staffer and I have been suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting for the past two days. We conduct regular testing of water and cleaning of storage tanks, so there is no internal problem. After it came to our notice, we are taking all possible measures like cleaning all tanks, issuing an advisory to residents and helping them out with anything they need. But if so many people have fallen sick, it is the responsibility of the civic authorities to check the water supply.”