Over 500 Fall Ill In Karnataka's Udupi After Drinking Contaminated Water

Dr. I.P. Gadad, District Health Officer, confirmed the presence of waterborne pathogens in the supply from a local overhead tank in Uppunda.

Despite the widespread illness, officials assured that none of the cases are serious. (Image for representation)

Source : Pexels

More than 500 people fell sick after consuming contaminated water from a local overhead tank in Uppunda, Udupi district, on Friday. The incident has sparked concerns over water safety in the area as those affected were primarily from Karki Kalli and Madikal wards of Uppunda Gram Panchayat in Byndoor taluk with similar symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

Dr. I.P. Gadad, District Health Officer, confirmed the presence of "waterborne pathogen Salmonella bacillary" in the supply. He said, "Water-borne pathogenic salmonella bacillary strains were found in the water supplied to the two wards. We sent a team on September 30 to check both the villages using the same water source and nearby villages and reported that these bacterial strains were detected in 56 cases."

Karnataka | More than 500 people fell ill after drinking contaminated water supplied from a local overhead tank in Uppunda in Udupi district. The condition of none of the sick is serious... Water-borne pathogenic salmonella bacillary strains were found in the water supplied to…

— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2024

 

Despite the widespread illness, officials assured that none of the cases are serious. "Most of the affected have already recovered after receiving treatment at the local health center," a district official added, as per PTI.

Meanwhile, Gram Panchayat members noted that there had been no water supply for three days prior, and when water was restored, it was muddy. Those who boiled or filtered the water before drinking reported no symptoms. Udupi health officer said that they are investigating the cause of the muddy water supply.

Meanwhile, local residents attributed the water contamination to poor maintenance of the Kasinadi overhead tank leading to the suspension of water supply from the tank. Villagers have called for an investigation into the incident and urged immediate corrective measures, according to officials.