Sonepur: Diarrhea situation at Arda village under Tarbha block in Sonepur district has taken an alarming form with at least 35 persons suffering from it.
The residents here are in a state of panic over the rapid rise in numbers of cases being reported.
According to the figures given by locals, at least 35 persons have taken ill so far. While some are undergoing treatment at Sonepur based hospitals, many others have been admitted to hospitals in nearby Bolangir district.
Contamination in piped drinking water is being said to be the main reason behind the outbreak.
“The intake point of this drinking water project is at Dasamati Ghat of Mahanadi. The same Ghat is also the dumping ground for the entire town’s waste water. Garbage and medical waste are also drained into the Mahanadi through the drainage system at this Ghat. This may have led to contamination,” a local man opined.
Cracks in drinking water pipes, laid alongside the drains, could have been another reason for contamination, another man pointed out.
The local administration is yet to take any concrete step to contain the disease and address the contamination.
PNN