50 fall ill after drinking polluted water in Karnataka's Ankanal

BALLARI: In another incident of contaminated water affecting people, over 50 villagers from Ankanal in Sandur taluk were hospitalised on Saturday. It is the second such incident in Ballari district in a span of a fortnight. Ten days ago, a girl in Gonal village died and 30 people were treated in a hospital after drinking contaminated water.

In fact, after the Gonal incident, the administration took a slew of measures to avoid the recurrence of such incidents and doctors were continuously monitoring the situation in rural areas. Despite these precautions, there has been a second breakout. Lab reports stated that people from Ankanal fell ill after consuming contaminated water.

The administration is now trying to trace the source of impure water. District Health Officer Dr Janardhan HL said the situation is under control and all safety measures have been taken. Villagers are now being supplied with processed water and it will continue for a few more days. They have also been told to drink only boiled and cooled water.

“A makeshift hospital with 20 beds has been set up in the village and a team of doctors is also stationed to ensure their availability round-the-clock. Three ambulances with staff have been kept on reserve. Nearly 20 people are recovering, while the rest have been sent back home. Senior officials from the administration too have been stationed at the village,” he added.

Another senior officer said that they are looking into the reasons behind water contamination. The villagers have been told not to panic and all necessary measures are being taken by the district administration. The people are asked to visit the makeshift hospital immediately if they suffer from any health issues.