Diarrhoea outbreak at Zirakpur's Gazipur village?

Gaurav Kanthwal

Zirakpur, April 25

More than 100 suspected diarrhoea cases, including children, were reported from Gazipur village today.

Health officials said 170 houses were surveyed in which 95 diarrhoea patients were found in ward number 17. Three patients, including two children, had been admitted to the sub-divisional hospital in Dhakoli. All patients were out of danger, they said. Five teams of the Health Department visited the village and took five water samples from different places.

The teams conducted a door-to-door survey in the village and also distributed medicines. Residents complained that they had been getting contaminated and muddy water with foul stench emanating from it for the past few days.

“Villagers had informed Municipal Council officials, but the authorities did not take it seriously,” they alleged.

Residents complained that the water supply was contaminated as digging work by a telecom service provider to lay cables had damaged water supply lines.

Zirakpur Municipal Council Executive Officer Girish Verma said, “The leakage has been plugged. Teams of the Municipal Council are checking the lines at other places also to check contamination.”

Dera Bassi SDM Swati Tiwana said, “A medical team, along with an ambulance, has been deployed round the clock. Health and MC officials are making efforts to provide relief.

Residents of Shiva Enclave in Baltana, too, reported contaminated water supply in the past one week, but said the situation had improved a bit. In the Lohgarh area, residents have been complaining of erratic water supply after a line was damaged.

Sources said the source of contamination had not been found yet.