Shimla: Contaminated drinking water supply induced jaundice outbreak in the capital found echo in the Vidhan Sabha today with congress president Kaul Singh Thakur moving a call attention motion.
In his reply health minister Rajiv Bindal let the house know that between December and January, 264 people suffering from Hepatitis E jaundice were admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Deen Dayal Upadhya (DDU) hospitals.
The worst affected area was Kasumpati locality where 121 cases were reported from, said the minister.
He said that the government had water samples tested and also samples were sent to National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi which confirmed that drinking water supply was not contaminated.
The minister said that people in some places fell ill because of drinking impure water due to improper sewerage system laid out in the area.
“An awareness campaign has been launched and people have been asked not to drink water from defective community taps,†he said.
Bindal disclosed that there were about 1 lakh ration card holders in Shimla but there were only 10,728 sewerage connections in the town which clearly indicated that defective sceptic constructed by majority citizens was contaminating water sources.
The minister said 4 joint teams consisting of officials from the Health department, IPH and Shimla Municipal Corporation has been formed in order to contain the outbreak of jaundice.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
