Gastro havoc in Kalahandi

The New Indian Express, Sept 1, 2007

BHAWANIPATNA: Death roll due to diarrhoea and gastroenteritis is rising in predominantly tribal Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi.

Non-official sources put the toll at above 50, whereas Health Department sources put it at 27 so far.

Kalahandi Collector Pramod Chandra Pattnaik confirmed at a press meet here on Friday that from the reports received from Health Department officials, the death roll due to diarrhoea and gastroenteritis is 27 in four GPs - Talanagi, Gopinathpur, Adri and Kerpai gram panchayats.

Whether it is cholera or not can only be confirmed after proper laboratory test, he said. To combat the diseases five mobile health service van have been deployed and two health camps organised.

Besides two NGOs and Vedanta have been asked to organise health camps. As 23 villages in Talanagi, Gopinathpur and Adri areas are waterlogged by Indravati Project Reservoir, three power boats have been pressed into service to reach the areas.

It is programmed to take up NREGS in the affected areas to provide work to people. Steps have been taken to provide rice under PDS to the area.

To organise health camp, start NREGS work and PDS, three BDOs and one tehsildar have been deputed to the affected areas under sub-collector, Bhawanipatna, Ranjit Mohanty.

During the press meet, Collector termed three photographs published in a vernacular daily depicting dead bodies floating in Indravati reservoir as false. He said the bodies are of victims of a boat capsize.