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PMC probes suspected water contamination after 13 students fall ill at MMIT Pune
According to PMC officials, the incident took place between 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm on February 13 at the MMIT hostel
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health officials on Monday visited Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s Institute of Technology (MMIT) in Lohegaon after 13 students from the college hostel had to be hospitalised for symptoms associated with contaminated water, officials said.
The PMC health team, led by civic health chief Dr Nina Borade, inspected the MMIT campus and hostel on Monday. The PMC collected water samples from the campus and initiated a health survey in the surrounding area, officials said. Dr Borade said that water samples were collected from multiple sources on campus, including three borewells and one private borewell that supplies water during periods of shortage. “In total, 10 water samples were collected on Monday in addition to the samples taken on Friday. All samples have been sent to the laboratory to check for possible contamination. The team also inspected the hostel kitchen and water storage facilities and interacted with institute officials and students. The laboratory test reports are awaited,” Dr Borade said. A separate team from the Metropolitan Surveillance Unit (MSU), Pune, also visited the premises.
According to PMC officials, the incident took place between 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm on February 13 at the MMIT hostel. Twelve girls and one boy, all aged 18 to 19 years, had to be admitted to Sai Shradha Hospital after they complained of stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loose motions and giddiness. Civic health officials visited the hospital earlier at around 10.30 pm on Friday to assess the condition of the students. So far, 10 students have been discharged after treatment while three continue to be under medical care. Medico-legal cases (MLCs) have been registered by the hospital.
According to officials, the girls affected are first-year engineering students staying on the second floor of the girls’ hostel while the boy is a physiotherapy student. The hostel accommodates around 308 students, including male and female residents. However, among the 195 girls staying in the girls’ hostel, only students from the second floor belonging to the same group reported the symptoms.
A senior official from the MMIT management, on condition of anonymity, said that the institute is cooperating fully with the PMC. “The institute has a centralised RO water filtration plant, which is maintained regularly. The last maintenance and filter replacement were carried out in December. There is very little possibility of water contamination. Moreover, if the water was contaminated, it is unclear why only a small group of students from the same floor fell ill, while the remaining girls in the hostel did not show any symptoms,” the official said.
