The North News
Hamirpur, March 12
Over two dozen people, including 13 schoolchildren, have contracted jaundice in areas adjoining Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur city, triggering panic among residents and prompting authorities to collect water samples to ascertain the cause, officials said on Wednesday.
The outbreak in the Baru and adjoining Swahal areas has sparked anger among residents, who alleged lack of timely action to prevent the spread while claiming that contaminated supply from a drinking water scheme could be behind the rising jaundice cases.
According to reports, the disease has been spreading since March 4, and has affected more than two dozen people. Among them are 13 children from a school in Swahal.
Vivek Kaka, a local resident, alleged that the number of jaundice patients in Baru and Swahal has been rising over the past few days, and several schoolchildren have been diagnosed with the disease.
He alleged that contaminated water from the drinking water scheme has caused the outbreak, further claiming that sewage from factories in the nearby industrial area is contributing to the spread of jaundice.
Swahal Government High School headmaster Sandeep Dadhwal said at least 13 students from the school have contracted jaundice in the past few days.
The children are being treated at a medical college and the irrigation and public health department has been informed about the outbreak, he said, adding that the authorities have collected samples from the school and nearby areas.
Water from the Jamli drinking water scheme supplies several villages including Swahal, Bhati, and Majhot. Locals alleged that accumulation of contaminated water near the source could be behind the outbreak.
Sewage leakage from surrounding industrial units might be a contributing factor, a matter currently under investigation by the Jal Shakti and health departments.
Executive Engineer, Jal Shakti Department, Hamirpur, Rajesh Garg said the department received information about the outbreak in Swahal and surrounding areas on Wednesday, and water samples have been collected.
The cause of the outbreak is being investigated, and people are being urged to take precautions, he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who is scheduled to visit his home district on Thursday, has sought details from the district administration regarding the spread of jaundice in various parts of the district.
He has directed health authorities to take proper care and provide adequate medicines to affected persons, especially schoolchildren.
