What Caused Over 60 People to Fall Sick After Drinking Contaminated Water in Chhindwara?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Over 60 villagers in Chhindwara fell sick after drinking contaminated water.
- The district administration quickly set up medical camps for evaluations.
- Initial investigations confirmed the illness stemmed from a local well.
- All affected individuals recovered after treatment.
- This incident highlights the critical need for clean water access.
In Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, fear swept through the community as over 60 individuals experienced severe symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting. This alarming situation led the district authorities to set up medical camps for thorough health evaluations, as reported on Thursday.
Several villagers fell ill and required immediate care at a nearby hospital. Fortunately, all patients showed signs of recovery shortly after receiving medical attention, according to Chhindwara Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Hemkaran Dhruve.
Reports indicate that the health crisis stemmed from drinking contaminated water sourced from a local well that the villagers have relied on for years.
Panic escalated as more residents using that specific well began to report similar health issues.
The district administration acted swiftly by dispatching a medical team to perform door-to-door health assessments in Jarola village.
During the medical camps held on Wednesday and Thursday, approximately 120 individuals underwent evaluations.
According to SDM Dhruve, "Over 150 individuals were assessed in the medical camps at Jarola village, with at least 60 of them exhibiting symptoms like vomiting, fever, cough, and diarrhoea. Thankfully, all have now recovered after receiving necessary treatment."
Initial investigations suggest that the illness was caused by consuming contaminated water from the well.
"Samples from the well and other water sources in the village have been collected for testing," said the SDM.
This troubling incident follows the recent Coldrif cough syrup tragedy in Chhindwara, which claimed the lives of 24 children in the past month and a half, including a four-year-old girl named Ambika Vishwakarma, who tragically passed away after a prolonged battle for recovery at a private hospital in Nagpur.
In response to this unfortunate event, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla announced that there are 232 drug factories in the state under investigation.
He emphasized that health department teams are evaluating the quality control systems of these drug-manufacturing facilities.
All drug batches supplied to the government undergo rigorous checks, and private supplies are also under scrutiny, according to the Deputy Chief Minister.
He has reached out to the Tamil Nadu government to identify the official responsible for granting the license to the drug manufacturer involved in the adulterated cough syrup case.
Additionally, he inquired whether any inspections were conducted before renewing the license.
He acknowledged that the unfortunate events occurring in Madhya Pradesh resulted from inadequate oversight by the Tamil Nadu government.