Residents of the Prab hu Violetta residential com plex in Dabolim have warned that the diarrhoea outbreak is far more severe than official figures suggest, claiming that nearly 300 people — including children and the elderly — have fallen ill, with many requiring hospitalisation in government and private facilities. With the situation worsening over the past six days, residents on Thursday appealed for imme diate intervention, stating that entire families have been affect ed and conditions continue to deteriorate. The official records place the number of cases at 149, expos ing a widening gap between ground reality and official data as the health crisis deepens within the apartment complex. Addressing a press confer ence, residents said the out break began earlier this month and escalated despite repeated alerts to authorities. Health department teams conducted inspections on March 14, fol lowed by subsequent visits on March 16 and 17, during which cases rose sharply to 149. “These are only documented figures; a door-to-door survey suggests the number could be much higher,” a resident said, underscoring concerns that the true scale of the outbreak remains underreported.
Residents have demanded that authorities immediately disclose the findings of water samples collected by mul tiple agencies, including the Goa State Pollution Control Board, to establish the exact cause of the contamination. “It has been almost a week, and residents continue to suffer. We want the results of the water sample tests con ducted by the health department, PWD, WRD and GSPCB so that the exact cause can be established. Safe drinking water must be ensured immediately for all 300-odd flats of the Prabhu Violetta building,” another resident said. Alleging negligence, residents said maintenance lapses by the builder have aggravated the crisis. “We sent an email to the builder on March 13 but received no response, nor has he met us. As per our agreement with Prabhu Realtors, maintenance is their responsibility. The current situation points to a serious lapse on the builder’s part,” the agitated residents said. They further claimed that long-standing complaints over sanitation and sewage, dating back to 2021, have gone un addressed. “Instead of taking action against the builder, authorities are warning residents of disconnection of wa ter and electricity if the sewage problems continue. This is unfair. Action should be taken against those responsible, while ensuring residents are provided with safe water,” they said. Despite repeated complaints of foul-smelling water, resi dents said they were merely advised to boil it, even as they await test results expected only by March 28. “Authorities must act immediately and not wait for the situation to turn fatal,” a resident said. With multiple agencies involved and conflicting claims emerging, pressure is mounting on authorities to intervene decisively, as fears grow that further delays could worsen the outbreak. Chicalim Sarpanch Kamla Prasad Yadav said concerns over sewage treatment at the complex date back nearly two years, when complaints were raised by nearby res idents. Inspections at the time found deficiencies in the functioning of the STPs, following which notices were is sued to the builder. “Now, the same issue appears to have started affecting residents within the complex itself,” Yadav said, adding that the panchayat has initiated an enquiry and is closely mon itoring the situation. He maintained that the root of the problem lies in inter nal management. “This is essentially a society-level issue. The STPs do not appear to be functioning efficiently, and it is the flat owners who must take steps to address this. Only the test results will confirm whether sewage contamina tion has entered the water systems,” he said. Taking note of the development Fatorda MLA, Vijai Sardesai took to X to express his views. “This is not just a health scare. This is a failure of basic governance… Where is the government’s urgency? Where is the accountabili ty? How many more must fall sick before the government wakes up? Goans deserve better that contaminated water and criminal negligence,” Sardesai posted on X. Meanwhile, the Catholic Association of Goa has extended support to affected residents, alleging serious lapses and calling for immediate government intervention. Describing the situation as a ‘pandemic-like tragedy’, CAG president Cyril Fernandes claimed that contaminat ed borewell water, allegedly due to untreated sewage dis charge from the complex’s STP, has triggered the outbreak. “Families have been seeking assistance from government agencies and local representatives, but despite protests by nearly 1,000 affected individuals, no meaningful relief has reached them so far,” he said. Warning of further escalation, Fernandes said delays could lead to more serious diseases. “Any further delay could increase the risk of diseases such as typhoid and may even result in loss of lives. The situation demands urgent and decisive action,” he said.
