SPOTLIGHT: Major Water Contamination Cases in Goa (2003–2026)

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2003 (Panaji): Between July and August, Panaji reported 163 jaundice cases, including four deaths, due to contaminated municipal water supply affecting several parts of the city.

2009 (BITS Pilani, Goa campus): In September–October, a major jaundice outbreak affected 131 students at the campus. The situation forced authorities to suspend classes for nearly two months and vacate hostels. Health officials confirmed water contamination as the primary cause.

2024 (Cutbona & Mobor jetties, South Goa): In September, a severe diarrhoea outbreak, with suspected cholera, led to five deaths among migrant workers and over 100 cases. The outbreak was linked to poor sanitation, hygiene gaps, and overcrowding at fishing jetties.

2025 (Cutbona jetty): The jetty again witnessed a spike in 25+ diarrhoea cases during August–September, largely impacting migrant workers from Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Inadequate sanitation, lack of toilets, and poor waste management were flagged as key concerns.

2026 (Dabolim, Vasco): As of March 24, around 170 diarrhoea cases were reported at the Prabhu Violetta complex. The outbreak was traced to contaminated borewell water, caused by a malfunctioning sewage treatment plant (STP). The Goa State Pollution Control Board confirmed that sewage infiltration into the borewell system led to the contamination, with at least one typhoid case detected.


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