A three-year-old boy died and about 30 people became ill after allegedly drinking contaminated water in Karnataka's Raichur district, prompting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to direct officials to take immediate action, including ensuring proper treatment for those hospitalised and compensating the deceased child's family. The incident occurred on Friday in Rekalmardi village, Devadurga taluk, Raichur district, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
Some people were transferred to the Arakera Community Health Centre in Devadurga and the Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) after complaining of diarrhoea and vomiting.
According to reports, the affected people drank water from an unclean water tank. There have also been reports of sewage water being mixed with drinking water due to a pipeline leak.
According to the Chief Minister's Office, after learning about the incident, CM Siddaramaiah called the CEO and directed him to take immediate action to provide safe drinking water.
The chief minister has directed officials to take immediate action to ensure the proper treatment of those who have become ill and has also directed the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer to compensate the deceased's family.
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Taking serious note of reports of people becoming ill after drinking contaminated water in the villages, he directed officials to conduct an investigation and submit a report.
The CM directed officials to immediately visit the site and conduct a thorough inspection; immediately send water samples to the lab and obtain a report; and, based on the report, conduct a thorough health checkup of the villagers and provide necessary treatment.
The CM told officials that clean drinking water should be provided, contaminated water sources should be closed, compensation should be given to the deceased's family, and all measures should be taken to ensure that the incident does not happen again.