SAMBALPUR: With the summer making advances, jaundice cases are on the rise in the City mainly due to consumption of unhygienic water. A month after the water-borne disease broke out, the number of cases here has gone up to 52. While the scare continues to haunt the residents, measures taken by the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) have proved inadequate to check it from spreading. As pipelines are being relocated, water supply has been disrupted in several areas.
Deputy Commissioner in-charge of SMC Subhankar Mohanty on Monday ascertained that all the targeted localities in Burla are clean now and the situation in under control. Similarly, ban imposed on the roadside vendors will be lifted from Tuesday, he informed.
Though the civic body had banned the roadside eateries in Burla temporarily last month, they put up their stalls violating the rule. Same situation prevailed in Golebazaar, Badabazaar and Durgapali in Sambalpur.
Meanwhile, residents of Burla have expressed resentment over the sanitation measures taken by the civic body. They alleged that though the SMC has cleaned the locality for the time being, they are sure that civic body officials will fail to maintain it.
Additional District Medical Officer (Public Health) Panchanan Nayak said of the total cases, 38 persons have been completely cured. As incubation period of jaundice is two months, more cases are likely to come up. However, the Public Health department is conducting tests regularly to check the disease, he added.
A doctor said, “Residents who have obtained illegal water supply connection from the pipeline passing through the drain are responsible for the outbreak. The department should create awareness about the need to maintain hygiene.”