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News18
04-07-2025
- Health
- News18
Brain-Eating Amoeba In Pools And Tanks? What You Should Know This Monsoon
Last Updated: Naegleria fowleri is a free‑living amoeba that thrives in ponds, lakes, slow‑moving rivers, poorly chlorinated swimming pools, and even domestic water storage. Find out more When the monsoon lashes India each year, it leaves behind more than swollen rivers and traffic snarls. Warm, rain‑fed pools and half‑chlorinated overhead tanks become breeding grounds for Naegleria fowleri—the so‑called 'brain‑eating amoeba". The microscopic organism causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease so rare that most doctors never see a case—but so lethal it kills over 95%of those infected. With July 2025 rainfall already above normal in some states, public‑health officials are warning residents to stay vigilant around warm fresh water. Let's understand Naegleria fowleri's ecology, how it shows up in India, and – most importantly – how to stay safe. What Exactly Is Naegleria fowleri? Naegleria fowleri is a free‑living amoeba that thrives in warm fresh water—ponds, lakes, slow‑moving rivers, thermal springs, poorly chlorinated swimming pools, and even domestic water storage. It has three life stages: • Cyst (dormant, resilient to cold) • Trophozoite (feeding form, infectious) • Flagellate (motile form that seeks new environments) Human infection occurs when contaminated water is forced up the nose, typically during swimming, ritual ablution, or vigorous douching. The amoeba travels along the olfactory nerve, crosses the cribriform plate, and attacks brain tissue. Warmer Water Temperatures As per the India Meteorological Data (IMD), average surface temperatures in ponds and reservoirs across the Gangetic plain now hover around 32-34 °C during July—prime conditions for Naegleria fowleri. Urban Water‑Storage Habits Many Indian households store water in rooftop tanks or underground sumps that are rarely cleaned. A 2024 National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) survey in Delhi and Jaipur found 42% of domestic tanks had free‑chlorine levels below WHO's recommended 0.5 mg/L, creating a safe haven for the amoeba. In Kerala 2023, an 11‑year‑old girl from Alappuzha died after swimming in a canal; lab tests confirmed Naegleria. Last year in Ahmedabad, municipal workers detected the amoeba in an apartment‑complex pool during routine checks; no fatalities, but the episode triggered fresh chlorination rules. In May in Mumbai, a 17‑year‑old boy succumbed at a suburban hospital after using a gym spa pool that tested positive for Naegleria. Although fewer than 20 Indian cases have been confirmed since records began, under‑reporting is likely because PAM symptoms resemble common viral meningitis and diagnostic PCR tests are limited to NIV Pune and a handful of state labs. How Does India Monitor Naegleria? Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP): PAM is a notifiable disease since 2022; district hospitals must report suspected cases within 24 hours. Routine Water Sampling: Municipal corporations in major metros now test public pools monthly for free‑chlorine residuals and thermophilic amoebae. Hospital Alerts: NCDC has issued standard operating procedures for early lumbar‑puncture and CSF PCR testing when meningitis does not respond to antibiotics within 24 hours. What's The Treatment? The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends an aggressive cocktail of intravenous amphotericin B, rifampicin, fluconazole, azithromycin, and miltefosine, plus targeted hypothermia to reduce brain swelling. India's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) imported miltefosine in 2016 after the first Kerala case and stocks it through central medical stores. Still, treatment success worldwide is limited; of more than 430 documented cases, only about 20 survivors exist. Precautions You Should Take Avoid forceful water entry into nose: Don't dive or dunk in warm/standing fresh water. While bathing infants, avoid splashing water up their nostrils. Use chlorinated water for nasal rinses: For neti‑pot or jal‑neti practice, boil water (rolling boil 1 minute) and cool or use distilled/RO water. Maintain domestic tanks & pools: Clean storage tanks every three months; keep free chlorine ≥ 0.5 mg/L. Apartment associations should test pool water weekly in July–September. Public pool etiquette: Check if pool management displays daily chlorine readings. Avoid swimming if water is cloudy or the deck smells musty. Seek immediate care for Meningitis‑like symptoms: If severe headache and fever follow recent swimming, insist on Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) testing and mention Naegleria to your doctor. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : brain-eating amoeba India monsoon Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 03, 2025, 17:05 IST News india Brain-Eating Amoeba In Pools And Tanks? What You Should Know This Monsoon
Indian Express
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Powai lake overflows after heavy rain in Mumbai; overall water stock in lakes shows marginal improvement
Mumbai's Powai lake, an artificial water body that supplies non-potable water to the city, started overflowing Wednesday morning after its level reached its maximum capacity following heavy rain. Meanwhile, the average stock in all seven lakes that supply potable water to Mumbai also saw a rise as the overall stock stood at 10.19 per cent Wednesday morning — a marginal improvement in the last 24 hours. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities, the Powai lake overflowed at around 6 am on Wednesday. 'The lake has reached its full capacity and started overflowing due to heavy rainfall in its catchment area over the past two days. As of now, the water level stands at 195.10 feet. With a storage capacity of 545 crore litres, the lake's water is non-potable, and is primarily used for industrial and non-potable needs,' a civic body official said. According to the India Meteorological Data (IMD), Mumbai's Santacruze observatory recorded 29 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, and the coastal observatory at Colaba recorded 7 mm. BMC said Mumbai's western suburbs recorded 92 mm of rainfall, followed by 84 mm in the eastern suburbs, and 63 mm in the island city during the last 24 hours. According to the civic body's data from Wednesday morning, the average water stock stood at 10.19 per cent, which is 1.47 lakh million litre against the overall capacity of 14.47 lakh million litre of all the seven lakes. On Tuesday, the water stock in the lakes stood at 9.78 per cent. An island city, Mumbai draws its potable water from the Tulsi, Vihar, Bhatsa, Tansa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, and Modak Sagar lakes. While two of these lakes are within Mumbai, the rest are in the neighbouring districts of Thane, Palghar, and Nashik. The catchment area of these lakes gets filled during the monsoon, and the water is transported through tunnels to BMC's filtration plant. After filtration, water is supplied to every household and commercial establishment through pipelines and reservoirs. BMC's data also shows that on June 18 last year, the city's water stock stood at 5.35 per cent, and on the same date in 2023, the stock stood at 8.23 per cent. Civic officials said all seven lakes would reach their 100 per cent capacity by August end or the first week of September. As BMC supplies around 3,850 million litre daily (MLD) of water, the present stock is likely to last for the next 30 days, and the overall stock for around 375 days. However, owing to incidents of leakage and pipeline bursts, a significant quantity of water gets wasted every year. 'Considering the onset of monsoon has happened early, the rate of evaporation has gone down since the maximum temperature levels have shown a decline. Therefore, the water stock is adequate to last till July 31. We have a good rainfall forecast this year, as a result of which no water cut has been proposed, and over the last two days, the catchment areas in Mumbai are also witnessing good rainfall,' said a civic official. The BMC's data also shows that in the last 24 hours only the catchment areas of the Tansa and Bhatsa lakes received a good amount of rainfall at 35 and 27 mm daily, followed by 24 mm in the Tulsi lake, 21 mm in the Upper Vaitarna, 17 mm in the Middle Vaitarna, 12 mm in the Modak Sagar, and 2 mm in the Vihar lake.
