‘Water contamination’ in Bhubaneswar: Over 1,200 fall sick in a month

At a time when hundreds of people across the districts of Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Keonjhar remain under treatment for diarrhoea and cholera outbreaks, alarm bells have rung in Bhubaneswar after over 1,200 people have fallen ill over a month due to alleged water contamination.

Sources mentioned that most of the sick residents belong to the Trident Galaxy apartment complex in Kalinga Nagar and its adjoining areas. They have reportedly fallen ill over the past month due to a suspected outbreak of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal infections.

The root cause, residents allege, lies in the contamination of drinking water, with sewage water possibly mixing with groundwater sources used within the apartment campus.

The absence of a piped government water supply has forced the society to depend solely on borewell water, raising serious questions about water safety standards and oversight.

“You can see sewage water engulfing the piped water supplies. We have alerted authorities multiple times, but to no avail. It has been two months now, and someone or the other from our apartment suffers from diarrhoea or hepatitis daily due to this contamination,” alleged a resident of the complex.

Groundwater Reliance, Substandard Infrastructure Raise Health Alarms

In a letter to the Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR-RMRC), the residents stated that 1,236 flats depend entirely on nine submersible pumps that draw groundwater into seven sumps, which are then distributed through overhead tanks to individual homes.

Following a spike in health complaints, residents conducted their own water sampling from the pumps, sumps, and 72 homes, and sent the same to ICMR-RMRC, Bhubaneswar, to test the water and provide urgent guidance.

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Despite these measures, the spread of illness has allegedly been relentless, prompting growing panic. According to residents, nearly 60% of the occupants have experienced symptoms, ranging from vomiting and diarrhoea to prolonged gastrointestinal distress.

Capital City Not Spared as Diarrhoea Grips Ghatikia Too

Elsewhere in Bhubaneswar, Ghatikia locality has also reported a rising number of diarrhoea cases, again tied to concerns of sewage mixing with drinking water supplies.

In this area as well, the absence of a secure piped supply has pushed residents to depend on untreated groundwater, now suspected to be carrying pathogens due to proximity to leaking sewer lines.

In both cases, official intervention remains limited, and local health authorities have yet to issue a formal health advisory or initiate large-scale corrective measures.