Team Herald
VALPOI: Taking cognizance of a report in Herald on Friday that villagers in Shelpe-Valpoi have been suffering from loose motion, vomiting and stomach disorder since past eight days due water contamination, officials from the health and water supply departments visited the village and have collected water samples for testing.
Water samples have been collected from the local river, bore wells and public taps. Later, the officials visited the afflicted villagers. Besides, they also held a meeting in village which was attended by around 50 villagers.
The officials who visited the village include Director of Health Services Sanjay Dalvi, Dr Uttkarsh Betodkar, Valpoi Health Officer Dr Gajanan Naik and Assistant Engineer of Water Supply department Eknath Paste. Local Sarpanch Parag Khadilkar accompanied the visiting officials.
At the meeting, Dr Uttkarsh Betodkar advised the villagers to drink boiled water and wash their hands properly before eating to avoid loose motion, vomiting and stomach disorder. And those suffering from loose motion and vomiting were advised to take ORS (oral rehydration salts).
Further, Dr Betodkar advised the villagers not to defecate in the open but use the toilets; they were also advised not to use river and bore well water for domestic needs.
Assistant Engineer Eknath Paste informed the villagers that his department would change the pipeline and till then water would be supplied through tankers to the village.
When contacted on the issue, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said, “As soon I got to know about the people from Shelpe have been suffering from acute gastroenteritis, I instructed the Director of Health Services, State Epidemologist and Health officer to visit the village and do all possible thing to restore the heath condition of the villagers. I have also directed heath officials to take samples of water from all sources from which the villager consume water and to also conduct advocacy programme to educate the people to prevent from this disease.”
“I have also directed the Assistant Engineer of water supply department to solve the water problem permanently at the earliest by fixing booster water pump by Monday so that the village gets water from Dabos water treatment plant. Further, I have also instructed them to supply safe drinking water by tankers twice a day,” Rane added.
