Dirty water continues to claim lives in Jaipur

Deaths from contaminated water continue to claim lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan. An 8-year-old girl on Saturday died and 32 others were hospitalised after consuming contaminated water in a residential colony here. Several residents in Ganesh Vihar, Mangal Vihar, Shankar Colony and Mahesh Nagar have been, reportedly, falling sick in the last two days. The patients complained of abdomen pain and have been vomiting profusely after consuming the contaminated water, chief medical and health officer Dr Ravi Prakash Sharma said, adding that medical teams were sent and nearly 150 people were given medicines on the spot. “A minor girl, Kannu, was taken to Jaipuria hospital by her parents, where she was declared dead on arrival,” he said. Around 14 people have been hospitalised at Jaipur hospital, while other 18 were admitted to J.K. Lone hospital, the health officer said. According to residents, they have been receiving contaminated water for the past few days and people had been continually falling sick, however, their condition worsened on Friday and several people were admitted to hospitals.

Residents said that they had informed the water supply department about the contaminated water five days ago but nothing was done about it.

“A team of the department came but without collecting water sample, it declared that water was clean,” they alleged.

However, people got angry when an eight-year-old girl died on way to the hospital. They put her body on the road and sat on dharna. When the district collector reached the spot the angry residents asked him to drink the same water.

After getting information Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister Kiran Maheshwari and health minister Rajendra Singh Rathore reached hospital to see people. They admitted that people have fallen sick because of dirty water although, Maheshwari blamed Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) for the problem.

“During a road construction by the JDA a pipe line got damaged and there is possibility that dirty water from the nearby drainage got into it. However, the real cause would be known only after receiving investigation report of water samples,” she said.

She also convened a meeting of officials and directed them to check water supply and to be present on the field. A quick response team would be constituted for eight zones of the city, which will collect samples and if any complain of contamination was found true, pipe water supply would be stopped and water would be supplied through tankers, she said.

Meanwhile, the Congress held demonstration against continuous deaths from contaminated water. PCC chief Sachin Pilot also expressed grief and criticised the government for failing to provide clean drinking water. He said that in Banswara children and school teacher fell ill after eating unhygienic food supplied under mid day meal.