Water samples from homes of 26 GBS patients found without any chlorine

Those staying in and around Nandedgaon mostly get water from a nearby well which gets its supply from Khadakwasla. Some residents also rely on private water tankers and their own wells

In a shocking revelation, the water samples collected from the homes of 26 Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) patients were found to be without any percentage of chlorine present in them and hence unsafe for drinking purposes, members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, three fresh suspected cases of GBS were reported, taking the total number of cases reported till date to 166 according to public health officials. (HT)

Radhakishan Pawar, head of the RRT and deputy director of the public health department, said, “There are a total 77 GBS patients from in and around Nandedgaon area along Sinhagad Road. The RRT members visited the homes of 62 GBS patients to gather information about their water sources. The water samples collected from the homes of 26 GBS patients were found to be without any chlorine present in them,” Pawar said.

Those staying in and around Nandedgaon mostly get water from a nearby well which gets its supply from Khadakwasla. Some residents also rely on private water tankers and their own wells.

On Monday, the RRT held a meeting in Pune to discuss various issues pertaining to the outbreak of GBS. That the water samples collected from the homes of 26 GBS patients had no chlorine in them was among the main points discussed during the meeting. The RRT instructed the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to ensure the presence of at least 0.2 parts per million (ppm) of chlorine as protection against water contamination. It was also decided in the meeting that more water samples would be collected from a 5 km radius around Nandedgaon, from where the maximum cases of GBS have been reported.