Payakapuram records three diarrhoeal deaths in two weeks, residents point fingers at murky drinking water supply

Residents in Payakapuram report murky water supply, leading to diarrhoea cases, sparking health concerns in the area.

Residents in Payakapuram, where a few diarrhoea cases have been reported, have a litany of complaints about the water supply in the area. One of their complaints was that the water was murky.

“We get water once every two to three days, which is murky and bad-smelling. We usually leave the tap water running for a few minutes until all the dirt comes out before collecting some for drinking,” said Chintayya, a resident of Prajasakti Nagar in Payakapuram.

Near the Government Junior College, Radha Nagar, more than 15 people have reportedly suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting in the past two weeks. But the cases came to light only after a similar issue in Moghalrajpuram flared up.

“It was here that the problem began, but since we are poor, no one cared about us. We did not think it was the water, but when we found out that our neighbours also suffered from the same problem, we began using mineral water for drinking,” said Jayalakshmi, whose seven-month-old grandson, Vinay Siddharth, died on May 19 (Sunday) from symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting.

She said that they took the infant to a hospital around 11 a.m. on Sunday, and while medicines helped stop vomiting, the diarrhoea continued, and he died the same day.

A similar story was told by Durga Rao, whose 61-year-old aunt, Chowdary Kanakamma, died yesterday after a bout of vomiting and diarrhoea. So far, there have been three deaths with similar symptoms in this area since May 18.

“We did not know who to tell, and we did not know that more people were suffering from diarrhoea until recently,” Mr. Durga Rao said.