Two die, 10 in hospital in Telangana after drinking ‘contaminated’ water

HYDERABAD: Two persons  — Afreen Sultana and Mohammad Qaisar — died and 10 more were hospitalised due to alleged water contamination in Mailardevpally in Rajendranagar, Rangareddy district.The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB)  officials, however, washed their hands off, saying that the cause of the death was not due to water contamination. But the locals said the board officials never bothered to act on their complaints of water contamination.

Of those who were undergoing treatment, the condition of the six-month-old baby of Afreen is said to be critical.  However, the HMWS&SB officials insisted that the deaths were not due to water contamination. After conducting a preliminary investigation into the incident on Wednesday, they said  that the rumours that the deaths were due to the water contamination were baseless.

Afreen Sultana, a 22-year-old woman, died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital. After the death of a youngster, Mohammed Kaiser, on Tuesday Afreen became the latest casualty and her six-month-old daughter, Faiza Begum is also in critical condition.

Earlier, the residents in the area — Azharuddin, Samreen Begum, RP Singh, Shahjadi Begum and others — fell severely ill after drinking the polluted water. Two-year-old children,  Itteshamuddin and Ikhra Begum too fell ill.

Local residents blamed these deaths on the negligence of authorities who allegedly failed to check frequent contamination of drinking water.  Despite making repeated complaints, there was no improvement in the situation, they alleged.

‘No pathogens found’
Speaking to TNIE, Jamil Altaf Hussain, Deputy General Manager of the Rajendranagar subdivision, said: “We have collected samples from the house of the deceased as well as the surrounding 15 houses. We have checked the samples and conducted residual chlorine checking and found that the water was fit for drinking purposes. The cause of the deaths might be something else but not due to water contamination.”
The HMWSSB stated that on December 8, they sent a water sample to the water board’s central laboratory and in the bacterial tests, the chlorine level was found to be 0.5 ppm.

Even on the morning of the incident, the quality control staff of the Jaladala found that the samples collected during the supply of drinking water did not contain any pathogens. The board officials said that the cause of death could be some other infection or any medical problem they may have had.

The Water Board has asked the public not to be carried away by the rumours and that the water supplied by the board was safe as it is supplied only after a three-step purification process.

Jalamandali ED Satyanarayana, Quality Assurance Technician General Manager Quality Control visited the area and stated that the water supplied through pipelines near the reservoirs and the water collected and tested near the consumer’s house showed that there was no contamination.

HYDERABAD: Two persons  — Afreen Sultana and Mohammad Qaisar — died and 10 more were hospitalised due to alleged water contamination in Mailardevpally in Rajendranagar, Rangareddy district.The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB)  officials, however, washed their hands off, saying that the cause of the death was not due to water contamination. But the locals said the board officials never bothered to act on their complaints of water contamination. Of those who were undergoing treatment, the condition of the six-month-old baby of Afreen is said to be critical.  However, the HMWS&SB officials insisted that the deaths were not due to water contamination. After conducting a preliminary investigation into the incident on Wednesday, they said  that the rumours that the deaths were due to the water contamination were baseless. Afreen Sultana, a 22-year-old woman, died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital. After the death of a youngster, Mohammed Kaiser, on Tuesday Afreen became the latest casualty and her six-month-old daughter, Faiza Begum is also in critical condition. Officials collect drinking water samples at Mailardevpally on WednesdayEarlier, the residents in the area — Azharuddin, Samreen Begum, RP Singh, Shahjadi Begum and others — fell severely ill after drinking the polluted water. Two-year-old children,  Itteshamuddin and Ikhra Begum too fell ill. Local residents blamed these deaths on the negligence of authorities who allegedly failed to check frequent contamination of drinking water.  Despite making repeated complaints, there was no improvement in the situation, they alleged. ‘No pathogens found’ Speaking to TNIE, Jamil Altaf Hussain, Deputy General Manager of the Rajendranagar subdivision, said: “We have collected samples from the house of the deceased as well as the surrounding 15 houses. We have checked the samples and conducted residual chlorine checking and found that the water was fit for drinking purposes. The cause of the deaths might be something else but not due to water contamination.” The HMWSSB stated that on December 8, they sent a water sample to the water board’s central laboratory and in the bacterial tests, the chlorine level was found to be 0.5 ppm. Even on the morning of the incident, the quality control staff of the Jaladala found that the samples collected during the supply of drinking water did not contain any pathogens. The board officials said that the cause of death could be some other infection or any medical problem they may have had. The Water Board has asked the public not to be carried away by the rumours and that the water supplied by the board was safe as it is supplied only after a three-step purification process. Jalamandali ED Satyanarayana, Quality Assurance Technician General Manager Quality Control visited the area and stated that the water supplied through pipelines near the reservoirs and the water collected and tested near the consumer’s house showed that there was no contamination.