Dhalgaon Khairi village in Saoner taluka is facing a serious public health crisis after contaminated drinking water supplied through household taps made more than 100 villagers fall ill. The incident reminded people of the recent incident in Indore city of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, where a diarrhoea outbreak linked to polluted water led to 142 people being hospitalised and six reported deaths. According to villagers, the main drinking water supply pipeline in Dhalgaon Khairi has been broken for the past 10 to 15 days.

 

Despite repeated complaints, the Gram Panchayat and concerned departments failed to repair it in time. As a result, dirty wastewater contaminated drinking water and reached homes directly. This exposed residents to serious health risks. Initially, around 10 to 12 villagers were admitted to private hospitals with complaints of stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. However, the situation quickly worsened. When the health department finally conducted a medical camp, 65 patients were identified on the first day and another 25 on the second day. Many others are still suffering from mild symptoms. At present, health teams are visiting homes, examining patients and distributing medicines. The villagers have alleged gross negligence by the local administration. Shockingly, the village has a water purification filter plant but the same remained non-functional for the last three to four years.

 

Villagers also claim that water tanks and pipelines are not cleaned regularly. Due to lack of proper Government health facilities nearby, many poor families and farmers were forced to spend money on treatment at private health facilities. Only after the matter gained attention did the Dawakhana Aaplya Dari (Clinic at Your Doorstep) team reach the village. The administration has advised residents to drink only boiled water until January 14. However, no senior district-level officials or elected representatives has visited the village, so far. Under the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act and public health rules, supplying safe drinking water is sole responsibility of the Gram Panchayat and the administration.