Vijayawada: A woman died and 19 others fell ill due to alleged consumption of contaminated drinking water in Guntur on Saturday.
Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has started a medical camp and is holding a house-to-house survey to control the illness due to water contamination.
Padma (18) had fallen ill four days ago, allegedly after drinking contaminated water. She died on Saturday. Apart from her, 19 others fell ill in Sarada Nagar, Srinagar Colony, and Sangadigunta areas of Guntur town on Saturday. The victims have been rushed to GGH Guntur.
Angry residents have staged a protest at GGH against officials of the district. They have demanded that health minister Vidadala Rajini resign immediately.
According to district medical and health officer (DMHO) Dr. K. Vijaya Lakshmi, around seven people had been rushed to GGH in the last two days with symptoms of vomiting and fever. Padma, a resident of Sharada Nagar Colony, was admitted on Saturday morning. She died while undergoing treatment at 2:30 pm on the same day. Others are undergoing treatment at GGH.
The DMHO said that a special team has been deployed and a house-to-house survey is ongoing in Old Guntur to check water supplied by the GMC. An investigation is going on to confirm whether water contamination is responsible for the death of Padma.
GMC commissioner Chekuri Kirthi, Guntur mayor Kavati Siva Manohar Naidu, officials and corporators visited the affected areas. Kirthi said primary medical reports of Padma have indicated that diarrhoea is not the cause of her death. Hence, they have sought a post-mortem of her body to ascertain the cause for death.
The commissioner said a special medical camp has been started in Sarada Colony. She asked people to visit the medical camp for tests, diagnosis and treatment if they face any health problems.
Telugu Desam and Jana Sena leaders protested at the GGH demanding justice for Padma's family. They alleged that three days ago, Korrapati Obulu of Sangadigunta had died of diarrhoea.
Residents of the old Guntur are complaining that they are getting foul-smelling polluted water ever since the pipelines have been changed.
