“The situation has reminded us of the pandemic days,” says Subbalakshmi, a resident of Moghalrajpuram here, where at least 26 people are reported to have suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting, and at least one person is suspected to have died with the symptoms.
Subbalakshmi’s aunt, Varalakshmi, is one of the four persons admitted to the hospital after she suffered a bout of diarrhoea and vomiting. Her condition is stable now. At Noble Hospital, located nearby, authorities said they have admitted 13 patients from May 21. All of them recovered, they said.
Varalakshmi, 65, a resident of Boyyapati Madhavarao Street, getting treatment for diarrhoea at Noble Hospital in Moghalrajpuram on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri
“My aunt, aged 65, started experiencing the symptoms on Saturday, leading to a drop in her blood pressure level. She took medicines for the treatment of diarrhoea, but when there was no improvement in her condition, she was taken to the hospital where she was administered electrolytes,” Ms. Subbalakshmi says, adding that they always drank municipal water. Only recently, after they noticed too much of dirt in water, that her family started buying mineral water.
“Most of the people living here are dependent on water supplied by the municipal corporation because we cannot afford to spend ₹1,500 per month on mineral water,” said C. Srinivasa Rao, a relative of Valluru Durga Rao, who is suspected to have died after developing the symptoms. Mr. Durga Rao developed symptoms on Saturday morning and died while being taken to the Government General Hospital late at night on Sunday.
However, health officials have maintained that Mr. Durga Rao also had a history of paralysis and epilepsy and that it is too early to say what led to his death. While officials say there has been one suspected death so far, residents say the number could be more than that.
Symptoms for all the affected members in their families started around the same time, that is around May 21, residents said. “The water was always murky. But health problems started only recently. Now, we have begun using borewell water instead of municipal water,” another resident, Madhu, a photographer and a neighbour of Mr. Durga Rao, said.
In his family, he and his two children, a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old, are suffering from diarrhoea. He said those who do not have borewells are boiling municipal water before drinking.
Following a spike in diarrhoea cases in Boyyapati Madhavarao Street and Patamata Vaari Veedhi in Moghalrajpuram, a medical camp has been set up persons presenting with similar symptoms are being treated free of charge.
NTR District Medical and Health Officer M. Suhasini, who was also at the camp, said 26 cases were reported from Monday morning till Tuesday afternoon and all those admitted to the hospital are stable. While the officials did not rule out water contamination, they said water from the household of every affected person has been sent for testing and that it will take two days for the results to be out.
An official, requesting anonymity, said cross-contamination of water pipelines, that is, sewage water getting mixed with drinking water pipelines, could be one factor. However, the official said one can come to a conclusion only after the microbiological examination is done.
Food safety officers, who were also present, said spot testing of samples was under way to check values of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), pH, nitrates and nitrites. People are advised to drink boiled water until more details emerge.
In response to the residents’ complaints, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said the water tank that supplies municipal water to households is being cleaned regularly. “Only when hospitalisations increase that we need to worry. There is no need for any alarm as all people have recovered. It is a small episode, which was caused by a change in the weather,” he said.
Meanwhile, authorities at the Government General Hospital have asked the staff to arrange all medicines, beds and other equipment in the wake of the incident.
