Panchkula: Two weeks on, Budanpur diarrhoea case count 460

Panchkula, June 5

The number of diarrhoea cases recorded at Budanpur village of Panchkula has climbed to 460 after two weeks of the outbreak. The area has already recorded one death even as many persons of the village have been admitted at hospitals in Chandigarh. The district administration now wants to focus on spreading information and take up related activities in the area.

Dr Yash Garg, DC, today held a review meeting regarding the spread of diarrhoea with officials of the district Health Department, Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and others.

Deputy Commissioner Garg said people of Budanpur, Indira Colony and Rajiv Colony should be made aware regarding boiling water before drinking. He said, “Awareness programmes should be run. Advisory on precautions should be issued.” He also said the departments should collect samples of water being supplied in the area.

While the Health Department has claimed that drinking water being supplied in the area was the main reason for the contamination leading to cases of diarrhoea, the HSVP has outrightly stated that the drinking water being provided by it in the area was clean. Officials said the drinking water apparently gets contaminated due to rust and damage to supply pipes within the properties of residents.

As per information accessed from the department, the number of cases of diarrhoea in the village has climbed to 460. Eight new cases were reported on Wednesday alone.

Officials in the health department said 12 water samples of the 20 collected had failed the quality test.

The DC during the meeting also directed Municipal Corporation Panchkula to carry out a cleanliness drive in the area. The DC said, “There should be no stagnant dirty water at any place in the area, besides garbage or organic waste. Fogging should be carried out in the entire area.”

Meanwhile, cases of dengue and malaria have already started surfacing in Panchkula. Officials of the Health Department said two cases of dengue had been reported in Panchkula in the past couple of days. They said, “Kalka is a high-risk zone in terms of dengue. The department has already written to the Municipal Corporation Panchkula, panchayat department and others to ensure availability of necessary equipment to clear stagnant water, carry out larvicide spray and fogging in their respective areas during the season.”