Rajouri family denies using contaminated spring water

The administration in Badhaal village of Rajouri has sealed a local spring that tested positive for pesticides and insecticides. However, Mohammad Aslam, who tragically lost all six of his children to an unexplained illness, has clarified that his family never consumed water from the reservoir.

The administration had initially suspected that the victims might have ingested water from the contaminated spring. Aslam’s six children, including his four daughters and two sons, along with his maternal uncle and aunt, all passed away after falling ill since January 12. Despite multiple investigations, the cause of their deaths still remains unknown.

“I do not understand how the administration is linking the pesticides found in the spring water to the illness. We never used the spring, which is located around three to four km from my house. I don’t think any of the three families who lost members to the illness drank from the spring either,” Aslam said in an interview with The Tribune.

The illness has only affected three families in the village. “If the water is truly contaminated, how is it possible that only three families have been affected while no one else in the village has fallen ill?” Aslam questioned.

Since the onset of the illness on December 7, a total of 17 people from the village have died. Several medical and administrative teams have visited the area but have been unable to determine the cause of the illness.

The administration recently announced that water samples from the Badhaal spring tested positive for pesticides and insecticides. In response, the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Division of Rajouri sealed the spring to prevent its usage. The administration expressed concern that some local tribal residents may have been secretly collecting water from the spring.

Aslam, however, maintains that there must be another cause behind the deaths. “The spring water is not the reason for the deaths,” he said.

In an official statement, the government clarified that investigations had ruled out any communicable disease as the cause of the deaths. “All samples tested negative for viral or bacterial infections. The tests were conducted in some of the country’s most reputable laboratories,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the SIT formed by Rajouri police continues to investigate the deaths.