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Water borne diseases take toll on Kupwara villages 6/10/2014 11:57:23 PM Syed Tahir Bukhari BARAMULLA, June 10 : At least 70 people have complained of jaundice, typhoid, vomiting and diarrhoea in many villages of Handwara tehsil of District Kupwara in North Kashmir. According to a local Mohammad Ashraf, "The quantity and quality of the water that we drink is directly linked to health. If the water is contaminated with germs or chemicals, health will be affected. Outbreaks of diseases transmitted by water have a major impact on human health." It is said that department of PHE has failed to supply potable water to the village. Medical experts say there has been an outbreak of typhoid fever about this time every year for the past 4 years. A Medico, Javid Qureshi, said he has a list of over 40 patients of Handwara and new 15 cases in Zachaldara and 4 in Beehama, villages. These are narrow diameter wells which are usually fitted with either a hand pump or a powered pump. There are a number of ways to sink boreholes and tube wells. Shallow tube wells may be sunk using an auger, by driving a pipe into the ground or by jetting. Boreholes and deep tube wells are sunk using drilling rigs and can be up to 200 meters deep. Doctors said, the reason behind these diseases is the contaminated water. During a survey to this area the doctors found that the people over here consume tap water and that is why the diseases broke out. "For the past 3 months, each day, I receive 4 fresh cases of typhoid from different villages of Kupwara district," said Qureshi. Others in the area estimated that more than 200 cases had occurred in the adjoining villages of Handwara. A local physician, Dr Nazir Ahmad said that, "For the past 2 years, typhoid fever has been recurring in the area on a larger scale, 'The main reason for the spread of typhoid is the contaminated water of Nallah (streams) which is used for drinking and cleaning kitchen utensils," The diseases which can be transmitted by water include cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and many diarrhoea1 diseases. All of these diseases can also be spread by other means, but the quality of public water supplies is particularly important because such supplies are capable of transmitting contaminated water to many people, said Ahmad. Early times have learnt from a reliable source that Executive Engineer Public Health Engineering division Handwara, Iftikhar Ahmad Wani has said, water reservoirs are being clean annually. He also said that he will send a team to inspect the water. Block Medical Officer (BMO) Langate Dr. Shabir Ahmad Pathan said that people not to panic the infection will be subdued in few days. A doctor has also been deputed to take care of these patients. The patients are right now undergoing treatment at Public Health Centre at Kalamchakla.   Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network     Comment on this Story

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