Maharashtra govt framing policy to stop water contamination for prevention of illnesses: Minister

Maharashtra minister Prakash Abitkar on Wednesday told the legislative assembly that the state government was working on framing a policy to stop contamination of water in order to prevent illnesses caused by it.

He also said the government has included Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in its Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) for treatment of these patients under the scheme.

Replying to a debate in the House on the GBS outbreak, the health minister said it was not a contagious disease like COVID-19.

It spreads because of contaminated water and people get affected if their immunity levels are low, he said.

"Meat consumption has nothing to do with GBS. Its outbreak was found in Pune because there was no chlorination of water in the Khadakwasla dam (that provides water to the city)," he said.

NCP MLA Chetan Tupe, who represents the Hadapsar assembly constituency in Pune district, said contaminated water was a result of unregulated construction activity along the dams and unrestricted expansion of urban pockets.

Abitkar said a policy decision was required to regulate construction and stop water contamination.

GBS was included in the Mahatma Phule health scheme under which its treatment cost of up to Rs 2 lakh was covered, he said, adding that the government would increase this limit.

So far, 87 GBS patients have been treated for free under the scheme, the minister said.

The cause of all illnesses is contaminated water, he said, adding that water purification is necessary and the government will make a policy decision.

When the first GBS patient was detected in Pune district on January 9 this year, a total of 222 suspected cases were found till March 3, of which 193 were confirmed ones. Six patients have died in Pune and one in Mumbai. But there was no rise in the number of patients, he said.