Exactly a month ago, my 10-month-old son had three episodes of loose motions in a matter of a few hours. At that point, I was concerned, but I still believed it wasn't anything serious.
But, after his afternoon nap, he woke up with a high fever, and that immediately worried me. I rushed him to a paediatrician who diagnosed an infection and prescribed him medicines for five days. That was followed by medicines for a cold for another four days. Like any parent, I kept hoping it would get better, that it was something minor that would pass.
But his fever did not subside, and his condition did not improve. That's when we realised it could be something serious.
Soon enough, he was diagnosed with typhoid, an illness commonly linked to contaminated water, and that is when everything connected in a way that was impossible to ignore.
A Health Emergency in Prabhu Violetta
In recent weeks, the situation for residents of the Prabhu Violetta housing complex, such as me, has gone from bad to worse.
More than 200 residents in our building have fallen sick, and it is no longer something we can dismiss as an isolated illness. Apart from my infant, people across households are reporting diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, skin infections, and respiratory issues.
It is affecting families, children, elderly, and almost everyone in some way. When so many people in one place fall sick at once, you start to realise this is not random. it is systemic and alarming, and something has clearly gone very wrong.
'Water Turned Foul, But No Response'
For many of us, the first signs appeared around 13 March when the water quality began to change. There was a foul smell, the colour looked off, and it did not feel safe to use. We raised concerns with the builder and authorities at the time, but there was no serious response.
Even after water tanks and sumps were cleaned, people continued to fall sick. That is when it became clear that this was not a surface-level issue that could be fixed with temporary measures.
Now, bacteriological tests by the Directorate of Health Services have confirmed contamination, and it only reinforces what we were already experiencing on the ground. The fear now is that this could be due to deeper failures in the building’s internal water systems or sewage treatment infrastructure, something that should never have been allowed to reach this point.
What makes this even more difficult to accept is that this issue is not entirely new. It had been raised with the Panchayat back in 2024, but there was no proper follow-up with the builder.
Looking back, it feels like a chance to prevent all of this was missed.
At the same time, it has been more than 20 days since an FIR was filed against the builder, and yet there has been no visible action. That delay is hard to understand, especially when people continue to fall sick.
'We Continue To Suffer'
My son is still battling typhoid. He is extremely weak and remains in a fragile condition. The past three weeks have been incredibly difficult.
There has been constant stress, anxiety, emotional strain, and exhaustion. There is no pause in it. You are always alert, always worried, always hoping things will turn around.
Watching your child suffer and not being able to take away that pain is one of the hardest things a parent can go through. What makes it worse is knowing that this may have been caused by something as basic and preventable as unsafe water. No parent should have to face that reality.
What has been equally distressing is the lack of accountability. There has been no outreach from the builder or the management, no acknowledgement, no responsibility taken.
With no resolution in sight, residents have now approached the Goa Human Rights Commission. This is no longer just a housing issue. It is about access to safe water, about health, about basic rights.
We are hoping that this step will bring some accountability and force urgent action. What we are asking for is not unreasonable. We want those responsible to be held accountable, and we want long-term solutions to ensure that this never happens again.
A new borewell and a higher capacity sewage treatment system need to be implemented as a priority. Temporary fixes are no longer acceptable when people’s health is at risk.
Even now, while contamination has been claimed to be confirmed, we continue to live with uncertainty. Many families have shifted to alternative sources of water, but the fear remains about what we have already been exposed to and what could happen next.
This is not over. This is something we are still living through, every single day.
(Report by: Mansi Santosh Kumbharjuvekar)
(As per The Goan, Amit Prabhu of Prabhu Realtors responded to the issue when it broke in March, saying, "We had not received any prior intimation regarding any contamination issue. We came to know about the matter only after certain media reports quoted a flat owner alleging contamination and inaction on the part of the builder."
Prabhu maintained that upon learning of the situation, the developer acted promptly to mitigate any potential risk.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said, “I have already issued directions that all projects of Amit Prabhu are to be put on hold. It is his responsibility to rectify all the lapses, and until he rectifies the faults, I have called for all his files at the Town & Country Planning Department and have kept them on hold."
On 10 April, the Goa Human Rights Commission reportedly issued notices to the Goa State Pollution Control Board and the Health Secretary over its handling of the water contamination issue in our housing society.
The Quint has reached out to Prabhu Realtors on the issues raised by the resident. The story will be updated as and when they respond.)
(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)