Diarrhoea kills six in Assam

Tezpur : At least six people, including a 14-month-old child and a pregnant woman, died of diarrhoea and over 350 others were affected by the disease in Assam’s Sonitpur district since the last one week, officials said.

The victims were from the tea estate dominated Balichang and Pavoi areas under Biswanath sub-division in the district.

At least six people died due to diarrhoea at Kamarjaan, Mora Tapabasti and Tinsukia village in last five days and over 350 affected by the disease.

The dead people were identified as 11-year-old Sivani Khodal, her 7-month pregnant mother Mamoni Khodal (31), her gandmother Kalawati Khodal (60) and Dipali Bhumij (65) of Kamarjaan village and 14-month-old infant Ajay Kandulana and his mother Jeuti Kandulana (32) of Tinsukia village.

”The people of the three villages had taken ill since Sept 15 due to the disease contaminated drinking water,” district health officer R N Roy told IBNS.

Roy further said, ”All medical facilities have been provided to the affected villagers. We have set up and started camps and a Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) corner at the affected areas and took blood samples from the patients.”

Meanwhile, a local villager Suresh Khodal alleged that over 50 people have lost their lives in diarrhoea in last couple of years in the tea estate dominated areas.

”Purified and hygienic drinking water facilities are not provided to the villagers and that’s why they die every year,” Suresh said.

Besides, Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rajesh Prasad and a medical team visited the affected areas and ordered the district health officials to take necessary steps for controlling the epidemic.