Bhubaneswar: A top Health official of the State government has claimed contamination of water source to be the cause behind the outbreak of cholera in Kashipur block of Rayagada district. The outbreak has claimed as many as 8 lives so far.
“In Kashipur water source has been contaminated with Vibrio Cholerae bacterium. Since the water source was the same for all, therefore the infection has spread to the nearby areas,” informed Director of Health Services Dr Bijay Mohapatra.
The Health Services Director has stated that initially, the situation was very bad but now it is under control.
Dr Mohapatra informed that health teams from Rayagada and Koraput have been deployed there and they are monitoring the situation. Disinfection of water is underway, he added.
He said arrangements are being made to provide potable drinking water to the people.
A team from the Health Department here has also visited the affected area, he said and informed that the Public Health Director is on a visit to Rayagada and Koraput.
The Health Services Director said that everyday samples collected from the area are being tested.
“Since it is a tribal area, people collect water from streams for drinking purposes. Therefore, infection cannot be ruled out wherever the contaminated stream flows through. So people have been advised against using water from the concerned stream. The situation is not alarming now so it cannot be termed as an epidemic,” Dr Mohapatra observed.
Political observers feel that the outbreak of cholera has exposed the gap between the claim of the government spending crores for providing safe drinking water to the people and the grim reality of the latter using water from streams for drinking purposes.
