The quality of water in Venna Lake, the sole source of drinking water for Mahabaleshwar, which had faced severe contamination due to the rundown of equine waste, has significantly improved as the authorities are now collecting the waste from the plateau above the lake and sending it to biomethanation plants for conversion into energy.
Also, the water treatment plant, which had not been serviced for nine years and contained harmful bacteria like E. coli, has been repaired and refurbished by the Mahabaleshwar hill station municipal council and an alternative successful water treatment system has been installed.
This makes the drinking water from the water treatment plant now completely safe of both viruses, (checked by NIV), and bacteria (checked by a water testing lab in Pune), according to Dr Priti Mastakar, the chief researcher of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics.
The equine waste, which is now collected and processed with biomethanation, provides biogas for community kitchens. Thus, the equine waste, which is collected at the plateau above the Venna Lake, is separated from human and equine interfacing.
It may be recalled that drinking water in Mahabaleshwar had become a serious issue with tourists and residents suffering from various illnesses. States Dr Mastakar, “The medical records indicated the spread of waterborne diseases, which implies contaminated water. Venna Lake, a source of drinking water to both Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, offers tourism activities like boating and horseback riding around it. This brought the drinking water source in direct contact with humans, horses and equine waste. With rain, this waste was carried by the water straight into the lake. In dry weather, the waste blew into the air.”
The Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, which was given the task of the health risk assessment research project by the Satara collector, discovered the negligent condition of the water treatment plant from where water is distributed to the entire hill station. Dr Mastakar observed that “The water treatment plant which was distributing the contaminated drinking water had to be repaired, refurbished, fixed, and an appropriate water treatment established. The plant had not been serviced for nine years. This servicing of the plant could provide clean drinking water to all establishments.”
The recommendation of shifting the horse riding area from the surroundings of the Venna Lake to another site, which is away from the waters, has not yet succeeded.
Dr Mastakar concludes in her report: “Gokhale Institute has successfully completed the vital research work of health risk assessment and risk reduction due to diseases of zoonotic origin caused by contaminated drinking water in Mahabaleshwar. This has reduced the high health risk to the local and tourist population, especially the vulnerable population of children and diabetics which has increased the safety of the population at this popular hill resort.”
Mahabaleshwar’s Health Red Alert
When the data was divided between the seven contagious diseases associated with contaminated drinking water, the following was revealed:
• Diarrhoea has been prevalent since 2019. This disease can be caused by rotavirus, norovirus, E. coli, or parasites (NHS, 2023). It was found that, singularly, till the year 2022, there were only cases of diarrhoea; no gastritis or any other disease.
• In 2019, though data on high footfall months of April and May is missing, one finds evidence of diarrhoea.
• In April and May of 2020, there is a spike in diarrhoea cases. Though June data is missing, July still shows an increased number of cases, slightly lower than the high visiting tourist season of May.
• In November 2020, diarrhoea cases are less; yet, present.
• In 2021, there is a gradual increase in diarrhoea cases April onwards, with the highest in June and November again.
• The year 2022 shows a record increase in diarrhoea cases. They spike in May, go to a record high in June, taper down in August and spike again in November, though not as high.
• If we look at the morbidity, it is the highest in May-June 2022 and in November. Approximately 50% morbidity was seen in 2022 indicating the strength of the bacteria or virus responsible for the medical cases.
• The male-to-female ratio shows at least 40% more infections in males; morbidity seems to be similar for both genders.
• Before 2022, there is no evidence of gastroenteritis in Mahabaleshwar.
• These conclusions match the opinion of Dr Deshmukh, the medical superintendent at the RCH and the medical records of RCH, Mahabaleshwar.
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Vinita Deshmukh is consulting editor of Moneylife. She is also the convener of the Pune Metro Jagruti Abhiyaan. She is the recipient of prestigious awards like the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting, which she won twice in 1998 and 2005 and the Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding media person for her investigation series on Dow Chemicals. She co-authored the book "To The Last Bullet - The Inspiring Story of A Braveheart - Ashok Kamte" with Vinita Kamte and is the author of "The Mighty Fall".)
