Sewage mixes with drinking water; over 30 admitted to hospitals in three days.
Over 30 people, including adults and children, have been admitted to hospitals after complaining of vomiting, stomach upset and diarrhoea due to water contamination in Okalipuram slum over the last three days. But civic bodies are still clueless about the source of contamination.
Dr Annamalai, Lakshmi Nursing Home, said: “We have been receiving cases of stomach ache and vomiting. We are testing patients for bacterial and viral infections. We have found two cases of E-coli and amoebiasis but the rest are that of stomach upset due to water contamination. There is water contamination in the area which has led to this outbreak.”
“There have been water-related issues for a year now. We get water once in three or four days. With irregular supply of BWSSB water, we have to depend on the borewell water,” said Siddamma, a resident.
Muniyappa Kehava, an electrician, said: “Three of my family members have been admitted to hospital. All of them have been vomiting and the doctor has given them glucose and some other medication. We have been living here for 16 years. This is the first time this has happened.”
However, BBMP officials have no idea where the contamination has taken place. Residents also allege that BBMP and BWSSB officials failed to respond to the situation effectively. “No one from BBMP or BWSSB has turned up. Water is a basic need for us and when it is contaminated, what shall we do? We cannot afford two square meals a day. How can we afford going to the doctor every other day?” asked Reshmi K, a second-year BA student.
While BBMP officials have set up stalls with oral rehydration salts (ORS), it seems to have had little effect.
“We have given pamphlets on do’s and don’ts to residents. We have found an overflowing chamber which may be the source of contamination. But we are still not sure what the source of contamination is. We have informed the BWSSB engineer who has ensured that chlorine content in water will be increased so that contamination is reduced,” said Dr KE Manjula, chief health officer, BBMP.
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