Renowned hepatologist Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips has slammed devotees at a Vrindavan temple enthusiastically drinking water flowing from an air conditioner vent, believing it to be ‘charan amrit’ - a revered donation of holy water. The video - extensively shared on social media, shows scores of believers collecting the water by cupping their hands or using cups, motivated by the notion that it was blessed.
According to Dr. Philips, the condensate water formed due to high moisture content in the air is a breeding ground for many kinds of infections, including the deadly E. Coli bacteria, which can cause grave health issues.
Dr. Philips said exposure to this water can lead to Legionnaires' disease - a severe form of pneumonia - lung inflammation usually caused by infection. It's caused by a bacterium known as legionella.
"Cooling and air conditioning systems are breeding grounds for many types of infections including fungus, some really hellish, he wrote on social media site X. “People get infected by inhaling infected water droplets or aspirating small amounts of contaminated water into the lungs,” he added. According to news reports, the water was discharged from an air conditioning unit flowing through tubes shaped like elephants - part of the temple's architecture.
Despite the clarification, several followers continued to drink the water, as seen in the video, despite a spectator attempting to advise them that the liquid was not holy water, but just AC runoff. What is .