More than 50 female students at MU hostel reported stomach ache, diarrhoea

Mumbai: More than 50 students residing in the New Girls Hostel at the University of Mumbai’s (MU) Kalina campus have reported cases of stomach ache and diarrhoea since Thursday night, raising concerns about their well-being. With no canteen available in the hostel premises, the cause of the students’ ailments remains unknown, although speculation points to contaminated water from a cooler within the facility.
A student pointed out that lack of immediate medical assistance exacerbated the situation, as the University Health Centre closes around 4pm, leaving many students without timely treatment. Some resorted to self-medication, while others sought medical help outside the campus.
According to students, one student experienced diarrhoea as many as 16 times due to her illness, highlighting the severity of the situation. Expressing frustration, a student, speaking anonymously, lamented the absence of a canteen in the hostel, which hindered efforts to identify the cause of the health issues.
A student said, “This is not the first time when we all are facing problems with the administration. When we joined there was no drinking water facility. It was only after protests that we finally got tanker water. For food too, we need to walk to the boy’s hostel. But no one from the university administration bothers to fix these problems.”
Concerns were also raised about the apparent lack of response from the hostel warden, who allegedly failed to visit the students during the day to address their concerns. When contacted for comment, officials attributed the students’ suffering to the heat, dismissing the severity of the situation by claiming that only 20 girls reported symptoms.
In response to the incident, various student representatives, including members of the Yuva Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT), visited the hostel to assess the situation and met the warden and engineering staff. Immediate steps have been taken to address the issue, including providing access to medical assistance within the campus and ensuring the availability of clean water for the students’ use.
Pradeep Sawant, the former member of the university’s management council and Yuva Sena member, said, “Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the vice-chancellor told us an inquiry has been initiated to determine whether the health crisis stemmed from contaminated water supplied by the municipality or unhygienic conditions of the hostel’s water cooler.VC has been briefed on the matter and has ordered an immediate inspection of the water sources, with a report expected by Monday.”
As the affected students continue to grapple with health issues amid upcoming exams and project submissions, a student said, “We need swift action that is imperative to safeguard their well-being and prevent similar incidents in the future,” said a student.
Meanwhile the MU official stated that ever since this matter has come to our notice, we have been going and questioning each girl individually. “We met all the girls and tried to find out the exact reason why the girls are suffering. No common cause of trouble was found in them. All the girls are fine now. No one was in the hospital. Those who felt the need have been treated at the university health center with the help of security. As a precautionary measure, water samples were also tested on Saturday. As per the doctor many girls have come from this dry environment so they are suffering from the humid environment here,” said official.