How a well that supplies water to adjoining villages may be cause of 80% GBS cases

PUNE: Eighty per cent of the reported cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) are from areas around a well in Nanded village on Sinhagad Road which supplies water to the adjoining villages. The revelation was made by state health minister Prakash Abitkar during his visit yesterday to take stock of the GBS situation. The well, which is more than 50 years’ old, is owned by the Kanade family and is used to store water. According to local residents, the well gets untreated water from Khadakwasla which is then supplied as it is (without any purification process) to Kirkatwadi, Nanded, parts of Dhayari, Kolhewadi and Khadakwasla through powerful pumps.

It is said that till about five years ago when the well was under the Gram Panchayat, it was regularly cleaned by the local body. However, following the 2021 takeover by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the cleaning is not carried out effectively, according to the locals. Allegedly, it is this well which is the source of Campylobacter Jejuni, a bacterium that can trigger GBS.

Kajal Hagawane, former deputy sarpanch of Kirkatwadi, said that the well was dug by a local resident on his land around 50 years ago. “The PMC should reconstruct the well. It is on the side of the road with no proper compound wall around it. A wall should be erected so that it is protected from any sort of contamination,” she said.

Gokul Karanjawane, former sarpanch of Kirkatwadi, said that a filtration plant is needed in the absence of regular chlorination. However, PMC officials denied allegations that chlorination was never carried out.

Nand Kishore Jagtap, PMC water supply department chief, said that the land on which the well is located is private but the owner allowed the well to be dug as a goodwill gesture. “Since the well is located on private land, the PMC finds it difficult to set up a filtration plant there,” Jagtap said.

Umesh Pangavhane, a resident of Urbangram Society in Kirkatwadi, said, “Several people in our locality are suffering from stomach ailments and the key cause is contaminated water supply. Since 80% cases of GBS are from our area, we requested the civic administration to install a filtration plant at this well. We are paying taxes to the corporation but are being deprived of basic amenities in return.”

Bharat Pancharya, another resident, dared the PMC officials to come and live in the area for some days. “If the civic administration thinks it will be moved only by agitation, we are ready to agitate for basic amenities. I would like the PMC officials to come and live with us for one month. I doubt if they will go back healthy,” he said. More than 20 to 25 cases of GBS were reported in his locality and the administration should find a permanent solution to the drinking water problem in the area, Pancharya said.

Narendra Hagawane, former deputy sarpanch, said that there are several resorts around Khadakwasla dam and in the absence of proper sewage systems, wastewater from these resorts is released into the reservoir. The same water is lifted and stored in the well, he claimed.

Whereas Jagtap said that the water samples are being checked regularly ever since the GBS cases were first reported but no bacteria have been found in them so far. “We have been carrying out chlorination of water since the monsoon and adequate measures are being taken to ensure that clean water is provided,” Jagtap said. “Land belonging to the irrigation department has been identified for setting up water supply infrastructure. A (water filtration) plant will be set up keeping the requirements of the next 30 to 40 years in mind,” he added.

A suspected GBS patient died in Solapur district earlier, making him possibly the first GBS-linked fatality in Maharashtra. The 40-year-old man was suspected to have contracted the infection during his visit to Pune. With Pune district reporting as many as 111 cases of GBS till Tuesday evening, 80 out of which are within a radius of 5 square kilometres, locals on Tuesday accused the PMC of laxity in cleaning the well water.

Taking serious note, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the situation during a cabinet meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.