A number of residents of the 522-tower complex complained of abdominal pain, vomiting and high fever. The matter came to a pass on Monday morning, when agitated residents surrounded the facility manager, demanding an answer. “Both my daughters are in hospital and doctors said the reason was contaminated water. The water smells bad and is yellowish in colour. We alerted the facility manager multiple times but to no avail,” said Sudhir Mondal, a resident. “Almost every building has someone who is unwell,” said Neha Gupta, an E Block resident, whose daughter is still being treated for a stomach-related ailment. “All three of us have been ill. At least 100 families have members suffering from diarrhoea and stomach infection. This can’t be a coincidence. There must be contamination in water.” Echoing her, Gupta’s neighbour, Shabana Khatun, said, “My daughter had been down with diarrhoea for the past three weeks. My niece, who visited our home, has also been showing the same symptoms of vomiting and loose motions. My elderly mother is also showing similar symptoms.”The residents lodged a complaint at the Technocity police station, following which cops visited the complex on Monday and urged the facility management to take immediate action. The facility manager said efforts were on to address the issue. “We are coordinating with the authorities concerned and taking steps to remedy the situation at the earliest,” he said.But an NKDA official claimed water sample test reports till last week suggested no contamination but they would inspect again. “Routine water sample quality tests are conducted every week. Reports till last week showed no contamination in the water supplied to Shukhobrishti. But with complaints coming in, a team has collected samples from the complex and those will be tested to see if there is contamination or an internal problem in the storage system,” he said. In 2024, nearly 50 residents of Shrachi Greenwood Nest in Rajarhat suffered symptoms of hepatitis A and typhoid and a test revealed the presence of coliform bacteria in the water in the housing complex.For now at Shukhobrishti, parents continue to worry about their children, elderly residents remain vulnerable, and hospital visits continue. “The authorities have promised to clean all the 141 overhead tanks. Till Monday afternoon, only 17 were cleaned. We just want clean, safe water,” said another resident, whose two sons are also under treatment.
