The Hindu Business Line : Cholera, dengue outbreak reported in Pimpri-Chinchwad

THE torrential rain that submerged the twin industrial townships of Pimpri-Chinchwad over the last fortnight may have subsided, but it has left in its wake an outbreak of cholera and dengue.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) authorities told Business Line on Monday that at least 12 confirmed cases of cholera have been detected in the region since Friday but refuted rumours that it was the beginning of an epidemic.

"These are sporadic, post-monsoon cases and not an epidemic since the cases are too scattered across various locations," said Mr Nagkumar Kunchagi, Chief Medical Officer.

"Most of the cases have been traced back to the consumption of water from borewells. There have been no reported cases of death."

The outbreak of cholera and a few cases of dengue has been traced to the region's large slum settlements - the Ramabai Ambedkar slum in Pimpri, Anandnagar and Vetalnagar in Chinchwad, and a couple of cases from parts of Pimpale Gurav and Khed, all of which were hit badly by the recent floods.

These localities, incidentally, were hotbeds of disease until a few years ago when the PCMC went on a massive cleanliness drive, after which the situation was under control.

Even as the detected cases of the disease are being treated at the corporation's hospitals, including the Pune Municipal Corporation's Naidu Hospital for Infectious Diseases, health authorities have undertaken a massive effort to super-chlorinate water, clean up the surroundings, and crack down on vendors selling foodstuff in the open.

The corporation is also undertaking a public awareness campaign to contain a possible outbreak by exhorting people in the affected area to use the Medichlor liquid, which has been distributed by health authorities, to disinfect the water they consume.

"We are also asking people to keep their surroundings clean and avoid dumping garbage in the open, in order to prevent flies from spreading the disease," Mr Kunchagi said.

At least six of the cholera patients are construction workers who were working at the site of demolition of a manufacturing facility for a prominent corporate house, which recently shut shop at the site.

The workers have apparently been consuming water from the borewell in the premises. "We are thinking of issuing notice to the company in charge of the demolition since they are required to provide drinking water to staff in the least," said Mr Kunchagi.

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