While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause

While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.

Even as residents in the affected areas in Vijayawada and its surroundings are in the grip of panic over the series of deaths in the last 10 days, allegedly due to diarrhoea, triggered by supply and consumption of contaminated drinking water by the Municipal Corporation, the NTR district administration still appears to be in the dark over the root cause of the deaths.

“The officials are trying to identify the disease. However, instructions have been issued to chlorinate drinking water, supply potable water through tankers and take up sanitation drive in the affected colonies,” District Collector S. Dilli Rao told The Hindu on June 2 (Sunday).

District Medial and Health Officer (DM&HO) M. Suhasini, while admitting that cases of diarrhoea have come down, insists that patients with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps set up to tackle the situation.

The residents and political party leaders are, however, not prepared to buy the officials’ argument, and insist that 10 persons have died in the last one week in Moghalrajpuram and other areas due to symptoms of the disease such as loose motions and vomiting. They even list the names of those who have succumbed to it so far.

“Valluru Durga Rao, K. Indira, Galla Koteswara Rao, K. Yesu Das, Mettu Anjamma, Lakshmi, two children, and two more have died due to diarrhoea. But the VMC officials are trying to hide facts,” they allege.

“Drinking water pipelines passing through drainages, leakages, contamination of potable water, stinking garbage bins, poor sanitation and negligence of the VMC officials are the reasons for the outbreak of diarrhoea,” alleges Rajeswari, a resident of CSI Church area.

“My husband Valluru Durga Rao (46) had succumbed to diarrhoea while undergoing treatment in the government hospital on May 26. He had symptoms such as vomiting and loose motions,” says Nagamani of Boyapati Madhava Rao Street.