KMC begins water quality check post cholera incident

Kolkata: After a fresh case of cholera was detected in the city, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) initiated a round of potable water quality checks in areas of the city that recently experienced waterlogging.

A four-year-old girl has been admitted to a hospital off EM Bypass displaying symptoms consistent with the disease. The civic body swung into action after confirmation of this latest case, the second reported cholera infection in the city this monsoon. According to deputy mayor Atin Ghosh, who also heads the KMC’s Health Department, water samples are being tested in localities where stagnant water had accumulated due to recent heavy rains.

“We have been alert since the case was reported. Water samples from areas affected by waterlogging are being tested to determine whether cholera bacteria are present,” Ghosh told the media.

KMC sources indicated that, so far, no contamination has been detected in the city’s drinking water supply. Preliminary information suggests that the infected child is a resident of the Parnasree area in Behala. She was admitted to the hospital with fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain—common symptoms of cholera. This marks the second confirmed cholera case in Kolkata this season. Earlier, on July 7, a youth from Picnic Garden Road in KMC Ward 67 was admitted to a hospital near the Bypass with similar symptoms.

He too was later diagnosed with cholera. Although the overall incidence of cholera in Kolkata has declined in recent years, cases continue to be reported during the monsoon months when the risk typically increases. Last year as well, several cases were recorded during the rainy season, according to hospital sources.

With the ongoing monsoon leading to water accumulation in several parts of the city, the civic body is treating the situation with caution and has adopted preventive steps to ensure water safety and control potential outbreaks.