Two dead, over 80 ill after drinking contaminated water in Sangareddy

In a State that set a national record for supplying treated drinking water through taps to almost every rural household, two persons died while about 80 others took ill, three of them seriously, allegedly after being forced to consume contaminated water from a well in Sanjeevaraopet of Narayankhed mandal in Sangareddy district.

The incident is said to have occurred after a continued disruption of water supply through the Mission Bhagiratha scheme.

According to reports, residents of two BC colonies in Sanjeevaraopet had resorted to drawing drinking water from a well after a disruption of water supply through the Mission Bhagiratha scheme.

The water in the well, the reports said, was contaminated, triggering health issues immediately among all those who consumed it. Many began vomiting, apart from widespread complaints of diarrhea after the incident.

While two persons, Mahesh, 22, and Sayamma, 70, died, more than 50 of those who fell ill had to be taken to hospital. Of the three persons whose condition was stated to be critical, one was shifted to the Sangareddy Government Hospital, while two others were shifted to the Narayankhed Government Hospital.

According to the villagers, there were three tanks in the village. Two tanks were connected to the Mission Bhagiratha scheme, while the old tank was connected to a well. Residents of the of the two BC colonies fell ill after drinking the water supplied through the well water tank.

The situation prompted Narayankhed MLA P Sanjeeva Reddy, Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Ashok Chakraborty, District Coordinator of Hospital Services (DCHS), District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr. Gayatri Devi and Deputy DMHO Dr. Sandhyarani to visit the village and a medical camp that was set up in the village.

Dr. Gayatri Devi said Mahesh was suffering from diarrhea, and developed appendicitis during the treatment at a private hospital in Sangareddy and later on succumbed while undergoing treatment. Whereas Sayamma, who was suffering from diarrhea, died due to old age ailments, she said.

Officials of Rural Water Supply (RWS) and Mandal Parishad office also visited the village. Special tankers were arranged to provide water to the colonies. The



MPDO said two additional panchayat secretaries were assigned to the village. Doctors say that the situation is under control now.

Panchayat Secretary Nagalakshmi and Special Officer Venkat Reddy were ordered to empty the well water and chlorinate the well and tank and till then provide drinking water through tankers.

The villagers further stated that since Thursday, people belonging to six colonies were falling ill due to diarrhoea. Initially, people were not aware that the water being supplied was contaminated as only one or two people fell ill in some houses, but on Saturday, a large number of people fell ill, and it was found that contaminated water was the cause.

A medical camp was set up by the Nizampet Primary Health Centre staff at the village and people were being examined. On Saturday, 70 people were tested and the needy were given treatment and medicines. Nine people were admitted to the camp on Sunday and four of them were referred to Narayankhed Government Hospital.

Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao came down heavily on the Congress government for its failure to provide at least safe drinking water to the people. He recalled that the BRS government under the leadership of K Chandrashekhar Rao had provided safe drinking water to the people.

With the successful completion of the Mission Bhagiratha project, tapped water supply had become a reality benefiting every household across the State. No other State in the country had accomplished such a feat.

However, the current State government led by A Revanth Reddy had failed to manage the project that was supplying Krishna and Godavari river water by purifying it.

Rama Rao demanded that the State government support the families of the deceased, provide adequate assistance to those undergoing treatment, and ensure that such unfortunate incidents do not occur elsewhere in Telangana.

This is not the first time that drinking water has become a major issue in the State in recent times. In June, a decomposed human body was found in a water tank that supplies drinking water to Hindupur area of Nalgonda municipality. In April, carcasses of 30 monkeys were found in a drinking water tank in Nalgonda’s Nandikonda municipality.