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The Chief Minister’s
constituency, Panjim, which received a face lift
recently became the breeding ground of a
gastroenteritis epidemic. An epidemic suspected to
have been caused by consumption of water supply by
private tankers in the wake of a three day breakdown
in public water supply to Tiswadi. Presumably
strengthening infrastructure does not include bare
necessities like safe, potable water and uninterrupted
power. BY JONQUIL SUDHIR. |
Janet
Fernandes is not
having a happy new year. Her seven-year-old son is
recovering from a severe case of gastroenteritis. She has
made several trips to the paediatrician and the, all the
while suffering from the disease herself.
Elston Soares, an NRI from
Singapore, should be having a relaxing holiday. Instead he
has had to admit his son and his mother in the hospital,
within the span of one week. Both suffering from
gastroenteritis.
Anand Naik has been unable to
eat anything much for the last week. He throws up whatever
he eats and has a constant feeling of discomfort. Reason?
Gastroenteritis.
The list could go on and on
and on. And the disease is not all they have in common.
They reside in and around Panjim. Or have eaten in the
region.
Strangely similar to the
jaundice outbreak in the city two years ago, there has
been a sharp and unprecedented rise in the number of
gastroenteritis cases in the city over the last couple of
weeks. Visit any clinic in the city and one will see a
line of very sick and uneasy-looking patients – of all
ages, sizes and income groups. A month ago, most of these
clinics were either empty or had very few patients. Now
they are full and some doctors are even finding it
difficult to cater to all of them.
Unusual
Dr. Virendra Gaonkar, a
paediatrician practicing in Panjim, acknowledged that an
unusually large percentage of his patients are suffering
from stomach-related ailments. “Diarrhoea in the winter is
a common phenomenon, but this year there is an unusually
large number of cases. The major difference being that the
elite has been affected too,” he says. Dr. Lily Sequeira
has a long queue of parents with tiny tots waiting outside
her doorstep. Too busy to speak, her assistant informed
this reporter that 60% of the patients were down with
gastroenteritis. The Goa Medical College has three
patients admitted with gastroenteritis, while three others
have been admitted to a maternity hospital in the city.
And it is not only the
children who are affected. Paediatricians are frequented
more because the effects of gastroenteritis (diarrhoea and
vomiting) in children are more pronounced. Adults tend to
dismiss gastroenteritis as diarrhoea and are content with
consuming Electrol or similar oral rehydration solutions
(ORS) and visit a doctor only when the discomfort becomes
unbearable. Question anyone residing in the city, and the
chances are, someone in their family has suffered from
gastroenteritis in the last two weeks.
The city’s chemists
corroborate this. Jeevan Rekha, a popular pharmacy in
Panjim, has witnessed a 30% increase in the sale of ORSs
and digestive salts. Farmacia Salcete and others in the
city are also reaping the benefits of the outbreak.
Contaminated Supply
But what has caused this
unusual rise in gastroenteritis? Surely everyone didn’t
eat the same contaminated food at the same time in the
same place. Perhaps the cause can be traced to the first
cases of gastroenteritis which were observed two weeks ago
on New Years Day. When the Public Works Department could
not supply water to the entire Tiswadi region due to a
breakdown in the Mardol pipeline. The pipeline which
supplies water from Opa suffered a major breakdown at
Chipute cutting off water supply to Panjim, Miramar,
Taleigao, Dona Paula, St. Cruz, Ribandar, Old Goa and
other surrounding areas.
The PWD, unprepared for such
a situation, could not supply all the affected areas with
water. Elston Soares approached the PWD after the taps in
his home went totally dry. He was told that he would be
provided with water as soon as the pipeline was fixed.
Which did not solve his problem. He, like many other
people, could not wait for the pipeline to be mended. He
did not know how long it would take the PWD to fix the
pipe. So he contacted a private supplier from Caranzalem
who had a water tanker. Concerned about the quality of
water supplied, the supplier (who incidentally gets his
water from a well in Taleigao) reassured him saying that
he provides water to the Dona Paula residents as well as
the starred hotels in the city. The supplier charged him
Rs. 250 (an inflated rate thanks to the increase in
demand) and Soares was relieved. Until the next day when
his son exhibited signs of gastroenteritis. When his
mother fell ill, he began to wonder if the water was the
cause of his family’s woes.
And this is not a lone case.
Many who have suddenly been taken ill with gastroenteritis
are now questioning the quality of the water supplied to
them by private parties. Where do they get their water
from? Does anyone check the quality of the water at the
source?
No
Proper Checks
Getting the answers is not
easy. Owners of water tankers have to be in possession of
a certificate issued by a health centre stating that the
water is safe for consumption. The Health Centre sends a
team to collect a sample from the source. The sample is
sent to DHS and if found safe, a certificate is issued.
But who ensures that this water remains safe? Are there
regular inspections? Who regulates these private
suppliers? Are they registered with any authority?
Since the quality of water
was directly related to health, one would assume that the
Directorate of Health Services (DHS) would be involved in
ensuring that the water supplied by these parties is safe.
But it isn’t. An official at DHS says that it is the
responsibility of the PWD. Officials at the PWD, say that
when it comes checking if water is safe the onus rests on
the DHS. Still others say that it is the duty of the
Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) to monitor the
private water suppliers. And while the buck passes on, the
private water suppliers remain unaccountable and the
people of Goa are forced to consume unsafe water and incur
huge medical bills.
The DHS does have a
laboratory which conducts tests on water. Under the guise
of being a victim of gastroenteritis, this reporter
visited the laboratory, asked if they would test a water
sample and was told it would cost Rs. 1375. It would be
more advisable if I filed a complaint with the Urban
Health Centre. They would collect the sample and conduct
the test for free. When approached the Health Officer at
the Panjim Health Centre asked if the same person was
still supplying water. That there was “no fun in
investigation if water is now being supplied by the PWD.”
That the test would take eight days, so there was no point
in doing the test if the results would not be of
consequence. If there was a complaint, and if it was in
“the best interest of the public,” it could be
registered and a sample would be tested.
The fact, however, remains,
that there is no government body regulating the supply and
quality of water provided by private water tankers.
Officials at the PWD advise that citizens should not
patronise private water tankers. That the quality and
‘potability’ of the water cannot be guaranteed. But, what
does one do in the event of a breakdown in the PWD supply?
Are Goans supposed to live without water till such time
the supply is restored? The government servants have no
answer to that one.
A few days ago there was talk of
promoting Goa as a calamity free destination. If the State
cannot provide its people with a regular supply of safe,
healthy, water, a basic necessity for survival, how can it
even hope to call itself a calamity free destination.
