Several fall ill in Greater Noida after drinking 'contaminated' water; authority denies sewage mixing

Noida: Several residents of Greater Noida’s Delta 1 Sector fell ill after allegedly consuming contaminated drinking water, prompting health concerns and complaints of sewage mixing with the supply line, officials and residents said.

The affected residents reported symptoms such as vomiting, fever, stomachache and loose motion after consuming tap water in parts of the sector on Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, officials of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) denied any mixing of sewage with the potable water supply, claiming tests conducted so far found the water to be clean.

Rishipal Bhati, a resident and former president of the local residents' welfare association (RWA), told PTI on Thursday that overflow of sewage and leakage in pipelines, particularly in C Block, led to the problem.

“Around six to seven families fell ill with symptoms such as vomiting, fever and loose motion after consuming contaminated water,” he said, adding that similar complaints had earlier surfaced from other blocks as well.

The incident follows heightened concern over water safety following recent cases reported from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, where multiple deaths were linked to the consumption of contaminated water, and from Gandhinagar in Gujarat, where several people reportedly fell ill due to polluted water supply.

Authorities across states have since stepped up monitoring and testing of drinking water sources.

The residents of Delta 1 alleged that sewage water from blocked sewer lines was mixing with broken pipelines and reaching household taps.

A resident complained of a severe stomachache after consuming tap water, while others said water leakage has been a recurring issue in the sector.

Harendra Bhati, a resident of Beta 1 Sector located nearby, claimed that sewage overflow is a common problem in several parts of Greater Noida.

“I have raised the issue multiple times, but no permanent solution has been implemented,” he said.

GNIDA officials said the authority took immediate note of the complaints on Wednesday, with a water department team visiting the affected homes and testing water samples.

“The samples were found to be clean. There was a supply connection issue in one house and a leak at another, which were fixed immediately,” a senior GNIDA official said.

Greater Noida Authority CEO N G Ravi Kumar has directed random water testing across the city in view of the recent incidents elsewhere, officials said.

Additional CEO Sunil Kumar Singh said the water department has been instructed to conduct random testing in all areas where the authority supplies water.

“Fresh samples were collected again on Wednesday evening after the water supply resumed, which will be sent for testing,” he said.

Singh added that builders and apartment owners' associations have been directed to regularly clean the water reservoirs, get samples tested and submit reports to the authority.

A letter is also being issued to the residents, urging them to immediately report any instance of contaminated water supply, he added.

The health department organised a free medical camp in Delta 1 on Wednesday, where 23 people were examined, and seven patients suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea were treated, the chief medical officer of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Narendra Kumar, said.