Over 500 People Fall Ill After Drinking Contaminated Water In Karnataka's Udupi

Udupi: More than 500 persons have become ill after consuming contaminated water from a local overhead tank in Uppunda, Udupi district, an official statement said on Saturday.

According to officials, none of the affected patients are in serious condition.

Dr. IP Gadad, the Udupi District Health Officer, confirmed that water-borne pathogenic salmonella bacillary strains were detected in the water supplied to two wards.

500 Fell Ill After Consuming Contaminated Water In Udupi

“More than 500 people fell ill after drinking contaminated water supplied from a local overhead tank in Uppunda in Udupi district. The condition of none of the sick is serious... Water-borne pathogenic salmonella bacillary strains were found in the water supplied to the two wards. We sent a team on September 30 to check both the villages using the same water source and nearby villages and reported that these bacterial strains were detected in 56 cases,” Dr Gadad said. 

This is a breaking story and further details are awaited in the incident. 

Earlier in August, two women died and 12 others fell ill after reportedly consuming contaminated water in KR Pet taluk, Mandya district. 

The deceased, 90-year-old Javaramma and 75-year-old Chikamma, both from Marenahalli, succumbed to their conditions, while Makamma (60), Ningegowda (70), and Sannamma (50) are currently in the ICU at Hassan district hospital. Nagamma (70) and Kallesh are recovering from vomiting and diarrhea at the hospital.

Residents have claimed that the tap water supplied by the gram panchayat was contaminated, leading to the illnesses and fatalities. They alleged that despite notifying the deputy commissioner about the issue days earlier, no action was taken. However, Taluk Health Officer Dr. Ajith stated that the deaths were not directly caused by vomiting and diarrhea. He explained that Javaramma passed away due to age-related ailments, and Chikamma, who had been staying with her, had recently visited the town's public hospital for treatment before returning home, where she later died.