Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 8 Sep: The Uttarakhand High Court today took a very serious view of the outbreak of water-borne diseases in villages around Jeolikote, Ganja, Veerbhatti, Chhina, Beluwakhan and Sariyatal in Nainital district. In the ongoing outbreak, two persons have reportedly died and more than 250 people have fallen ill so far due to contaminated drinking water.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Ravi Bisht, a division bench comprising Senior Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Siddharth Sah expressed strong displeasure over the alleged negligence of the authorities and observed that the situation is extremely worrying in the 21st century.
District Magistrate Lalit Mohan Rayal, Chief Medical Officer Dr Rashmi Pant and senior officials of the Jal Sansthan and Jal Nigam appeared before the court during the hearing.
The Bench observed that the crisis could perhaps have been avoided had the sewerage and drinking water pipelines been repaired in time. The court described the situation in the affected areas as akin to an epidemic and directed the authorities to take immediate measures to contain the spread of disease and ensure safe drinking water for residents.
The court directed the Secretary of the Drinking Water Department to expedite approval for the proposed water-testing laboratory for the Kumaon region. It also directed the Regional Officer of the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board to collect samples from 20 to 25 different water sources in and around Nainital and submit a detailed report within six days.
The Bench also directed the DM to personally monitor the relief and remedial measures being undertaken in the affected areas. It also ordered that purified drinking water be supplied through tankers and directed the authorities to immediately issue a helpline number for dealing with complaints related to sewerage leakage and contaminated water.
Taking note of the health facilities available in the affected areas, the court observed that such a situation is highly concerning in the 21st century. It said that if specialist doctors are not available in government hospitals, the administration should, without hesitation, call in teams of specialists from outside to treat the affected patients.
In view of the court’s observations, the DM reportedly sanctioned a budget of Rs 4 lakhs for conducting ELISA and other necessary tests of patients at private laboratories. The amount, officials said, may be increased if required. During the hearing, the petitioner also placed before the court liver test reports of a large number of affected patients and sought free treatment for those affected as well as compensation for the victims.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Rashmi Pant informed the court that the illnesses had spread due to contamination of drinking water. She said teams comprising eight doctors, along with an ambulance and medical staff, had been deployed in the affected villages. Health teams were also visiting households to distribute chlorine tablets and packets of ORS to residents.
During the hearing, officials of the administration and Jal Sansthan reportedly admitted that sewer water had mixed with a water source near the old garbage pit, resulting in contamination of the drinking water supply. Taking serious note of the admission, the court told the officials that the disease had spread due to their negligence and, therefore, the responsibility for treatment of the affected people and making the necessary arrangements also rests with them.
The affected villages are located around 18 km from the Nainital district headquarters. The outbreak has reportedly continued for several days, with residents suffering from diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, cholera and jaundice. Two young persons, including a youth and a woman, have reportedly died, while more than 250 people have fallen ill.
