Over 15 students taken ill at Gulbarga University hostel

More than 15 students residing at the Old BCM Boys Hostel located on Gulbarga University campus have taken ill after drinking contaminated water even as two severely affected among them were admitted to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) Hospital for treatment on Monday.

According to students, several inmates have been experiencing vomiting, acidity and other health-related issues over the last two days after consuming water supplied at the hostel. Suspicion arose when students noticed foul smell in the water. Upon inspecting the water storage tank, they found a dead lizard floating inside.

Two students severely affected by suspected water contamination, Arun Kumar Naikodi, a second-year postgraduate student of Sociology, and Mallikarjun Jevargi, a student of the History Department, have been admitted to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) Hospital for treatment.

The other affected students have received the necessary medical care.

Nearly 90 students reside in the hostel and inmates have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the lack of hygiene and unhealthy living conditions there.

Students said that the hostel premises is poorly maintained and that regular cleaning is not being carried out.

Students said that negligence on the part of the warden and hostel staff contributed to the incident. The hostel warden did not conduct visits on a regular basis and the authorities have failed to adequately monitor the quality of food and drinking water supplied to students at the hostel, they added.

The students have urged the authorities concerned to conduct a thorough investigation, collect and test samples of the drinking water and food and take immediate measures to ensure proper sanitation and hygiene within the hostel premises.