All five water samples collected from the Hepatitis A outbreak hotspot in Patiala’s Dogra Mohalla failed the quality tests, with laboratory analysis confirming bacterial contamination that has so far affected 30 residents.
According to the state public health laboratory’s report from Kharar, seen by HT, all five water samples tested positive for E. coli. “All five samples showed bacterial contamination. The report indicates mixing of faecal matter in the drinking water supply,” said a senior Patiala health department official, requesting anonymity.
Health department officials said the samples were collected from different points in the affected area after the outbreak.
Patiala civil surgeon Dr Shelly said the water supply has been restored in the area after plugging the leakages. “ All samples have failed the quality test. We will conduct fresh water sampling to ascertain whether contamination is still present or not. Our teams are conducting door-to-door surveys to identify suspected patients at the earliest. No fresh case of jaundice has been reported from the affected area,” she said.
However, residents of Dogra Mohalla alleged that muddy and foul-smelling water was still being supplied to their homes, raising fears of further infections.
Patiala municipal corporation joint commissioner Manreet Rana said repair work was still being carried out in the affected area. “Since there are multiple illegal connections in the locality, the work is taking longer than usual. We are conducting rapid water tests, and wherever a sample fails, we excavate the pipeline and carry out repairs,” she said.
Rana added that the problem lies with leakages in illegal connections taken from the main supply line. “We offered to lay a new water pipeline in the affected area instead of repairing each illegal connection individually. Unfortunately, there has been resistance to this proposal,” she said.
Meanwhile, the municipal commissioner Paramjit Singh has been transferred amid the outbreak, with Pooja Syal taking charge as the new commissioner. The transfer comes days after health minister Dr Balbir Singh blamed the municipal corporation for the outbreak.
