More than 300 people fall ill in Noida housing society, suspected of water contamination

More than 300 residents, mostly children and women, of Noida's Extension Group Housing Society were infected due to suspected water contamination, officials said on Tuesday.

After receiving reports of diarrhea, vomiting, fever, stomachache and other symptoms from the masses, the local health department immediately took action and set up a temporary camp in the community for inspection and treatment.

The local Greater Noida Authority also checked the water supply situation in the society and found no issues but as a precautionary measure, water samples were taken for testing, according to an official statement.

Raj Kumar, a media professional and a resident of Supertech Ecovillage 2, said the issue came to light on Monday evening when residents were discussing water shortage in a WhatsApp group.

“One resident mentioned that his child was experiencing diarrhea and vomiting. Soon after, another resident reported that their child was experiencing the same symptoms, and more people began sharing similar experiences. Soon it was discovered that hundreds of Residents are sick,” Kumar told PTI.

Another resident Ashish Srivastava said water contamination could be the reason as the society's water tank had been cleaned a few days ago.

“Water is a common factor for all families. Several families contacted a local doctor at the association's bazaar to confirm the infection among the patients.

Although residents of the society claimed that the number of affected people was more than 100, the local health department said that the exact number and the cause of the illness had not yet been determined.

Gautam Buddh Nagar chief medical officer Dr Sunil Sharma told PTI that the medical team, including doctors, rushed to the spot soon after receiving the information starting around midnight last year.

“The cases appear to be suffering from vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and fever and are being treated,” Sharma said after visiting the association.

On Tuesday evening, the CMO said in a statement that 339 patients of the association were tested and nine were found to have fever and 330 suffered stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

“The medical team provided treatment to all patients. Essential medicines and ORS kits were distributed,” Sharma said.

During inspection, the district malaria officer and his team found stagnant water in some places in the basement and found larvae, for which challan of Rs 10,000 was issued and water samples were collected from the apartments in these places. It is said that this is the social tower where the most patients are found.

The Greater Noida Authority said in a statement that its CEO NG Ravi Kumar has taken serious note of the incident and reviewed the situation.

“Preliminary investigation shows that there is no problem with the society's water supply. However, we have collected water samples and will take further action after testing them in the laboratory.

Authorities have also spoken to residents about the issue. Residents told the authority team that water tanks built into the community had recently been cleaned. It added that this could lead to people falling sick only if dirty water was supplied.

Jitendra Gautam, general manager of the water supply department, said that all group housing societies in Greater Noida receive water supply from the authority up to their reservoirs.

“Water supply to social housing is arranged by the builders themselves or the AOA (Apartment Owners Association),” he added.

Supertech Ecovillage 2 is one of the largest group housing societies in Noida Extension, also known as Greater Noida West. It has about 20 high-rise towers with about 150 apartments each.

(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)