Impure water led to Shimla jaundice outbreak: MC - Shimla Now

Shimla: With a large number of jaundice cases reported in Shimla, a municipal corporation team on Saturday reached the conclusion that the outbreak was likely the result of untreated water from sewerage treatment plants mixing with water from Ashwani Khud pumping station, which supplies water to 30% population of Shimla.

Related: उत्कृष्ट विद्यालय के बजट खर्च करने की अवधि बढ़ाने की तैयारी, सरकार को भेजा प्रस्ताव

On December 31, a six-member committee formed by the MC had visited the sewerage treatment plant at Malyana and concluded that the sewerage treatment plant was in disrepair and was discharging raw effluents. The committee had also found that effluents were not being chlorinated properly.
The committee had also observed that the bleaching powder used for chlorination was manufactured in September 2014 and was stacked in torn bags. It also found that as there was no power backup, the plant stopped functioning in case of a power outage, and untreated water was again allowed to flow.

But when a team headed by mayor Sanjay Chauhan visited Ashwani Khud pumping station on Saturday they found that there was clear-cut mixing of untreated water from sewerage treatment plants in water of the pumping station. "There is no treatment of water for virus-causing Hepatitis either at the sewerage treatment plant or at the source and pumping stations at Ashwini Khud," said Chauhan. "The team is of the view that quality of water in Ashwani Khud is not good, which is causing repeated epidemic in Shimla." He said that the irrigation and public health department had now been asked to act immediately.

Related: राज्य लोक सेवा आयोग को मार्च में मिलेगा नया अध्यक्ष