Karnataka contaminated water tragedy: Three dead, over 146 ill in Chitradurga; investigation on

Three people died and at least 146, including 44 children, fell ill at Kavadigarahatti locality in Chitradurga city of Karnataka after they allegedly consumed contaminated water. The deceased have been identified as Manjula (23), Raghavendra (27), and Praveen (24), all residents of Kavadigarahatti, according to South First report. The incident dates back to 31 July, when residents of Kavadigarahatti colony complained of diarrhoea and vomiting after they consumed contaminated tap water supplied by the Chitradurga City Municipal Council. The Chitradurga District Administration has collected the water samples and sent them to labs to ascertain contamination levels. “Among the children, none is in serious condition, and all are responding to treatment. All the three deceased are between the ages of 23 and 27. All the people are being treated at the district health hospital,” South First quoted a Chitradurga district administration official as saying District Health Officer (DHO) R Ranganath said that prima facie four of the five collected water samples are unfit for human consumption. “Prima facie, four of the five collected water samples are unfit for human consumption. It was found out in the lab reports that there was the vibrio cholerae bacteria [in them]. We are waiting for the final and detailed water analysis report,” he told South First. “It has also been suspected that a toxic chemical was added to the water. We have sent the samples for testing, and results are expected in two days. After the autopsy of the three deceased, the samples have been collected and sent to the labs,” he added. He said that as many as 15 people are still being treated in the ICU and two are in critical condition. “The cases started occurring from 31 July. The numbers were initially low, but increased to 146 on Thursday. We have also opened a temporary clinic in the locality and door-to-door testing is being conducted,” the DHO added. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (DC) GRJ Divya Prabhu has suspended a Group-D employee, while two wall-men (contract employees) have been terminated from the services. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also ordered a detailed probe into the incident and directed the suspension of the officials concerned. Two FIRs have also been registered in the incident, one in Chitradurga Rural and another in Bengaluru City. It may be noted that this is the third incident of water contamination reported in the last two months in the state. With inputs from agencies