Nearly 70 Directorate of Health Services employees have fallen sick in the past few months; repeated lab tests have confirmed that the water in their office is contaminated
Nearly 70 Directorate of Health Services employees have fallen sick in the past few months; repeated lab tests have confirmed that the water in their office is contaminated
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IN an ironic turn of events, nearly 70 employees of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), which is charged with ensuring the good health of residents of the state, have fallen sick themselves, allegedly because of drinking contaminated water in office.
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Switching to packaged water did not solve the problem either, as laboratory tests confirmed that even that was unfit for consumption.
Samples of the water in the coolers had a high concentration of coliform and thermotolerent microorganisms, which can cause gastroenteritis
The problem began in October last year, when employees complained that the water in their office was not fit for drinking.
They sent some samples of the water in the coolers to the state testing laboratory in Thane and the report said that it was unfit for drinking as it had a high concentration of coliform and thermotolerent microorganisms, which can cause gastroenteritis.
"However, the BMC tap water was termed fit for consumption. This showed that the sources of contamination were the storage tanks or water pipes in the DHS building," said a senior official from the directorate. Notices were then pasted near the coolers, warning employees against using the water for drinking.
DHS officials then switched to packaged drinking water to meet the employees' needs, but a recent laboratory report has proved that even that was unfit for drinking.
Of the 15 water samples collected on March 18, five were found unfit for drinking, while out of 14 collected on March 30, six were found contaminated. These tests were also conducted by the state testing laboratory in Thane.
Nearly 70 people out of DHS' 350 employees have fallen ill since October and they blame their illness on the water. "After falling ill because of the water in the office, I have started carrying boiled water from home," said an employee.
Alarmed by the test results, R C Vaidya, deputy director of the state health laboratory, wrote a letter (copy with MIDDAY) to Dr D S Dakhure, director of health services, stating that the water should not be used.
"From the lab results, it can be seen that the mineral water is contaminated and it should not be used, keeping in mind the health of the employees," the letter states.
Dr D S Dakhure was not available for a comment despite repeated text messages and phone calls.
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