A sudden diarrhoea outbreak in Zirakpur’s Nabha village has left more than 55 residents ill in the past two days, triggering sharp criticism from locals who blame civic neglect and contaminated water supply for the crisis.
The outbreak, which health teams say is now under control, has exposed serious lapses in water management. While only a handful of new cases were reported on Saturday, villagers remain fearful, with many refusing to touch tap water. “We had been complaining of foul-smelling, dirty water for weeks, but nobody listened until people started falling sick,” said one resident.
According to the officials concerned, a leak in the main supply line allowed sewage water to seep into the drinking water network. Though the leak has since been plugged, the damage had already spread across several households. As an emergency measure, nearly 300 water connections are being inspected, and water tankers have been pressed into service—making close to 40 trips daily—to supply potable water. Residents have been strictly advised not to consume piped water until lab test results confirm it is safe.
Medical teams have set up camps in the affected areas, distributing chlorine tablets and oral rehydration salts (ORS), while door-to-door surveys are being carried out to track any fresh cases. Officials say new pipelines are being laid as a permanent solution and should be functional within a fortnight.
For the villagers, however, the assurances have done little to ease anger. Many allege that the outbreak was preventable and could have been avoided had civic bodies acted on their earlier complaints. “They remembered us only when patients started crowding clinics,” another resident remarked.
The incident has, meanwhile, reignited the debate over civic infrastructure in fast-urbanising Zirakpur, where poor planning and unchecked construction have frequently left basic amenities strained.
"Even as health authorities insist the situation is stabilising, but for residents who fell sick, the crisis stands as a grim reminder of the cost of civic apathy. This is the sad reality of our nation - governments and local administrations wake up only when tragedy strikes", said Kavita, another local resident.