Water Contamination Triggers Health Emergency in Mhow
A serious health crisis has unfolded in Mhow town, where at least two dozen residents from the Patti Bazaar and Chandar Marg areas have fallen ill after allegedly consuming contaminated drinking water. The situation prompted Indore Collector Shivam Verma to rush to the town late on Thursday night to personally review and address the escalating emergency.
Medical Response and Initial Findings
According to sanitary superintendent of Mhow Cantonment Board Manish Agrawal, most of the affected patients are children who were admitted after experiencing severe vomiting. Blood sample examinations revealed that the patients are suffering from jaundice, with treating doctors opining that contaminated water is the likely cause. Medical teams from the Cantonment Board and health department have been deployed to Patti Bazar and Motimahal areas for primary surveys of the affected zones.
Officials confirmed that 22 people have reported symptoms of illness, with nine currently undergoing hospital treatment while others are receiving care at home. The district health machinery swung into action immediately upon receiving information about the incident, following instructions from CMHO Dr. Madhav Hasani. Health department teams have been actively working in the affected areas since morning to contain the situation.
Administrative Intervention and Directives
Collector Verma took a hands-on approach to the crisis, visiting the hospital to interact with patients and their families before speaking directly with residents of the affected localities. He issued clear directives to ensure proper and timely treatment for all those affected and instructed the Mhow Cantonment Board to conduct an immediate quality check of the water supplied through pipelines while maintaining sanitation standards in the area.
"The patients are under treatment and the administration is closely monitoring the situation," Collector Verma told media persons late at night. "From tomorrow morning, a door-to-door survey will be conducted in the affected localities. Anyone showing symptoms will be provided treatment at home, while serious cases will be admitted to hospital."
Current Status and Ongoing Measures
The collector provided reassurance that no patient is currently in critical condition, with some admitted patients likely to be discharged by Friday. In a demonstration of the administration's commitment to on-ground response, Verma later visited several areas of Mhow where cases of jaundice-like symptoms have been reported. He conducted door-to-door assessments to evaluate the situation firsthand and speak directly with affected families, emphasizing the administration's proactive approach to managing this public health incident.
The incident has highlighted concerns about water safety in the region, with authorities now focusing on both immediate medical response and long-term preventive measures to avoid similar occurrences in the future.
