20 more gastro cases reported in Patiala
Friday, 13/07/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120713/punjab.htm#10
With the outbreak of gastroenteritis at Sanjay Colony in Patiala, 20 more cases were reported today. Instead of taking corrective measures, senior officials of the District Health and Family Welfare Department and the Patiala Municipal Corporation are putting the onus on each other.
Investigations by The Tribune reveal that faulty sewerage system and illegal water supply connections are the cause of the spread of this disease. Many houses are using plastic pipes to draw water from water sources, which is illegal.
Putting the onus on the MC, Patiala Civil Surgeon Dr Virinder Singh Mohi stated that water supply was not their domain. “There are many illegal connections in the area as a result of which water stagnates there. One can also see heaps of garbage at many places. All these things have led to the outbreak of this epidemic. Still, we are doing our bit. We are distributing chlorine tablets among people and have also given them ORS sachets,” he said.
The Civil Surgeon said they had collected five more water samples from the area and sent the same to a laboratory for testing. “We will get the report tomorrow morning,” he added.
Denying the charges, Patiala Municipal Commissioner GS Sidhu said the MC was nowhere involved in the issue. “I have visited the site and there is no contamination of water. There were a few illegal connections which we have disconnected and my team is still there,” he added.
When asked what else could be the reason behind this outbreak, he said he could not comment on that as he was unaware of the cause but it certainly was not contaminated water.
