Amid GBS Outbreak, Pune Municipal Corporation Shuts Down 19 Private RO Plants In Nanded Village Area

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has sealed 19 private reverse-osmosis (RO) plants in the Nanded village area, a key site in the ongoing Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) outbreak, after tests revealed that the water supplied by these facilities was unfit for drinking, reported PTI.

The contamination, linked to the presence of Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria, has prompted authorities to take drastic measures to ensure public safety.

Prithviraj P B, PMC’s additional commissioner, confirmed the shutdown of the affected plants.

The plants, located in the Dhayari-Nanded area, supplied bottled water to a large portion of the local population, putting numerous individuals at risk.

The closure of the plants follows a series of reports regarding the spread of GBS, a rare and severe nerve disorder, which has seen a sharp rise in suspected cases in the region.

On Wednesday, PMC officials reported four new suspected cases of GBS, taking the total number of cases in Maharashtra to 170. This has raised alarm among health officials, with concerns growing that contaminated water could be playing a role in the spread of the illness.

In response to the contamination, Nandkishor Jagtap, head of PMC’s water supply department, stated that the local authorities have instructed private water suppliers to use a bleaching powder solution to eliminate the bacteria from the water.

This comes on the heels of an alarming discovery by a rapid response team, which found that the drinking water supplied to the households of 26 suspected GBS patients lacked chlorine – an essential disinfectant.

The authorities are now focused on preventing further contamination and have announced plans to introduce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for water distribution, with the aim of safeguarding residents from further outbreaks of both GBS and waterborne diseases.

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