Diarrhoea outbreak: Villagers in Vizianagaram district continue to be in a grip of fear

Vizianagarm diarrhoea scare: Fear grips Gurla as diarrhoea outbreak hospitalises 140, with 7 deaths causing panic; officials investigate water contamination.

Over 25,000 people living in Gurla and surrounding villages of Vizianagaram district are still under the grip of fear in spite of a series of measures taken by the State government and the district administration to control the outbreak of diarrhoea which hospitalised nearly 140 persons in the last three days.

Also read:Steps under way to check further spread of diarrhoea at Gurla in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, says Minister Srinivas

The death of seven persons in the last few days caused panic among the villagers who are worried about their safety with the contamination of water.

The district administration claimed that a few people died of other reasons but not due to diarrhoea as claimed by opposition parties. A majority of the people of Gurla left their homes to relatives living in Garividi, Cheepurupalli, Nellimarla, Vizianagaram and other places in spite of the improvement in sanitation in the mandal headquarters and other areas.

Vizianagaram Collector B.R.Ambedkar and other officials tried to instill confidence among the people with the supply of purified water through tankers and cans.

Vizianagaram district rural water supply department’s Umashankar told The Hindu that the water samples of the infiltration center located near SSR Peta of Gurla mandal were sent to a laboratory to verify its purification. “The filtration center which draws water from Champavati River caters to the water needs of nearly 26 habitations. We will take necessary steps as soon as reports come from the laboratory,” Mr. Umashankar said.

According to him, the water samples of 11 private borewells had also been sent to the laboratory. It was initially confirmed that the water was contaminated in five borewells. However, the locals say that they were using water from those borewells for many years and its usage could not be the reason for the spread of the diarrhoea.