Pune, 18 February 2026: Thirteen students from a private college hostel in Lohgaon were hospitalised after suffering from stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, weakness and diarrhoea. The incident has raised concerns about possible contaminated water in the area.
The affected students are from Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s Marathwada Mitra Mandal Institute of Technology (MMIT) in Lohgaon. The students, 12 girls and one boy, began experiencing symptoms on February 13 and were admitted to a private hospital for treatment.
Ten of them have since been discharged, while others are recovering. The girls are first-year engineering students, and the boy is studying physiotherapy.
Following the incident, a team led by PMC Health Chief Dr. Nina Borade visited the campus and hostel premises. Water samples were collected from three borewells within the campus and from a private borewell used during water shortages.
In total, ten samples were sent to the laboratory for testing. The team also inspected the hostel kitchen, water storage tanks and overall storage systems.
A separate team from the district health department also conducted an inspection. Officials examined drinking water coolers, the RO plant and storage tanks, and collected additional water samples for testing.
District Health Officer Dr. Ramchandra Hankare said the initial inspection did not reveal any visible faults in the water cooler, RO plant or storage systems. He added, “Water samples from four locations have been sent for laboratory testing. The exact cause of the students falling ill will be clear once the reports are received.”
Authorities are awaiting laboratory results to determine whether contaminated water was responsible for the outbreak.
