Two die, 76 fall ill after allegedly drinking contaminated water in MP’s Bhind
Bhind district collector Sandeep Srivastava arrived in Phoop on Wednesday and suspended the Nagar Panchayat’s water supply in-charges identified as Neeru Baghel and Patwari Brajmohan
Bhopal: An 80-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl died while 76 others fell ill after allegedly consuming foul-smelling contaminated water in Phoop village in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
As many as 20 people have been referred to Medical College in Gwalior, said people.
According to the people, Baijnath Choudhary (80), a resident of Ward 6 and Muskan Khan (17), a resident of Ward 7, died on Sunday night due to dehydration. Their blood samples have been sent for examination to know the cause of death.
Bhind district collector Sandeep Srivastava arrived in Phoop on Wednesday and suspended the Nagar Panchayat’s water supply in-charges identified as Neeru Baghel and Patwari Brajmohan.
Srivastava, however, said, “The deceased were stated to be ill for the past few days and have other diseases too. But we are inquiring into the matter of contamination of water. All the affected people have been rushed to the hospital where they are being treated.”
According to the locals, most of the people complained of vomiting and diarrhoea after drinking the contaminated water.
“Electricity poles are being installed in Phoop town. During the installation, the water pipeline was broken, and the water got contaminated. Another reason is that a truck carrying watermelon overturned in Phoop, and locals collected it. They were consuming it in high quantity, and it could be a reason behind diarrhoea”, Srivastava said.
Girjashankar Joshi, a resident of Ward 6, said, “Two days ago, dirty water was coming from the tap. Now, the water from the tap is clean, but it is stinking and can’t be used even for washing clothes. The contaminated water is responsible for two deaths”.