Residents of Indirapuram high-rise fall ill from suspected water contamination

Several residents at Saya Gold high-rise in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, have complained of health problems over the last one week with almost all of them having similar symptoms of vomiting, abdominal issues, and fever, pointing to a suspected water contamination in the high-rise, said officials of the district health department on Friday.
Residents of the high-rise, which has about 1,620 flats of which 1,100 are occupied, said they have been facing health issues for the last one week and these haven’t abated as yet.
Divyanshi Malik, one of the residents, said her husband was the first person in her family to fall ill about five days ago.
“He had symptoms of vomiting and abdominal issues. He visited the doctor the same day and doctor said he had picked up an infection. The next day, my 16-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter also developed similar symptoms,” she said.
“My daughter also had fever and their symptoms still persist. Two days ago, I also developed similar symptoms. I have been very careful about the drinking water source and use only RO purified water for drinking,” Malik said.
Stating that a residents’ welfare association (RWA) is yet to be formed in the high-rise, and residents suspect that the water storage tanks in the high-rise might have developed a problem.
Sanjay Tyagi, another resident, said his entire family has developed health issues.
“My daughter (aged 18) and I fell ill about five days ago. She kept preparing for her May 5 entrance exam for NEET whole year. But now she is finding it hard to study due to health problems. Both of us had symptoms of vomiting and abdominal pain; she also has fever,” he said.
“Then, my son (aged eight), fell ill with similar symptoms. Finally, my wife started complaining of severe symptoms and I had to rush her to hospital. I also called up the RO system technician to check if it has any issues. Now, we are using packaged water for daily needs,” Tyagi said.
After residents complained, health department officials sent teams to the high-rise to conduct medical checkups and distribute medicines to residents.
“Our rapid response teams checked about 50 residents who suffered symptoms of vomiting, nausea, dysentery, abdominal pain, headache, etc. We distributed medicines and also collected water samples from 15 different sources for testing,” said Dr Rakesh Gupta, district surveillance officer.
Maintaining that generally, such instances occur when there is contamination in water sources, Gupta said they were getting water samples checked and a report was expected soon.
Neeraj Gupta, the media spokesperson on behalf of Saya Group, in a statement said they have started testing water samples and have also intensified the cleaning of water tanks.
“The recent rise in temperature has led to an increase in weather-related illnesses, prompting many residents, both young and old, to seek relief in the swimming pool,” he said.
“Additionally, our collaboration with the health department teams has enabled us to promptly address any emerging health concerns. As the mercury continues to climb, we remain vigilant, prioritising the well-being of our residents,” the spokesperson added.