Taking A jaundiced view?

Last month, more than 20 residents of building no 39 at Tilak Nagar were diagnosed with jaundice. While residents allege that contaminated water supplied by BMC caused this, the civic authority has a different story to tell

The residents of building no 39 at Tilak Nagar have been drinking packaged water for more than a month. The reason? Like the 23 members of their society, they do not want to be also diagnosed with jaundice. Residents of building no 39 complain that their society has been receiving contaminated water for the last months.
Resident Sagar Jadhav, "About a month ago, I was diagnosed with jaundice. This happened due to drinking contaminated water. My condition was extremely bad for 15 days. I consulted three doctors during the time. I am still under medication." Jadhav family has been drinking bottled water for the last two months. They have spent more than Rs 2000 on packaged water.
Sitara Malvankar, joint secretary, building no 39, says, "Some residents showed symptoms of jaundice some months ago. During the time, a few Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials visited our society and took samples of the water, but they  did not revert. We clean our water tanks once every six months, but we still get muddy and foul-smelling water. I believe the drainage water is getting mixed with drinking water."
Residents of other buildings located next to building no 39 have been facing the same problem. A resident, on condition of anonymity, says, "About 10 days ago, the water supplied to our home emitted such a bad stench that it was difficult to turn on the tap. I have been residing here for the last 15 years, but this is the first time that such an incident has occurred. We always drink boiled water, but this time we avoided doing that too. We instead settled for packaged drinking water."
"My daughter suffered from jaundice after drinking contaminated water," he adds.
Milind Shirotri, secretary, building no 40, informs, "About a month ago, 12 to 15 people members of our building were suffering from jaundice. When I complained to BMC about contaminated water supply, Santosh Nikalje, M ward official, visited my home 10 days ago and drank the water. He said that the tanks need to be cleaned regularly." He adds that tanks are cleaned every six months.
Kiran Ved, treasurer, building no 40, alleges, "The drainage pipes in Tilak Nagar are more than 50 years old. Sometimes the pipes overflow and contaminate the drinking water pipes. At some places, drainage pipes are being changed. The problem should stop once all pipes are changed."
Official take
In BMC’s defence, Santosh Nikalje informs, "I am aware of this problem. I took water samples from some buildings for checks. But the results are absolutely normal. The water was crystal clear and potable. The water is supplied to the whole colony and if there is a problem then everybody must suffer from jaundice and other diseases. The BMC water is good. The problem is lack of awareness. They don't clean the suction and water tanks regularly. If they clean it once in four months, the problem will get solved. Though the drainage line and potable water line are close to each other, it is a myth that drainage water is getting mixed with drinking water, " he adds.

Residents suffering from jaundice
    Building no    No of residents
    38                  8-10
    39                  26
    40                 12-15

"For the past two months, we have been drinking bottled water. I have spent  `2,000 on the water.
Sagar jadhav
tilak nagar resident"

--Indira Thakur