CHENNAI: Furious over the death of two people after consuming contaminated drinking water supplied to their village, the family members of the latest victim refused to collect her body from the government hospital while the villagers of Karlambakkam in Pallipattu Taluk, near Tiruttani in Tiruvallur, announced a protest until the Collector and the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) come to their area and give assurances.
After the death of a man and a woman in quick succession, residents of the village allege that they fell ill after drinking contaminated drinking water. Blaming the local officials for the deaths, the villagers demanded compensation for the families of the deceased and are currently refusing to collect the body of one victim, V Sudha (43), from the Sholingur Government Hospital in Ranipet district.
The residents have also announced a protest in front of the hospital on Monday, vowing to continue the agitation till senior officials hold talks with them.
According to residents, a borewell serves as the primary drinking water source for over 300 houses in the Karlambakkam Colony. The channel carrying sewage from the houses to a nearby vacant plot is merely five feet away from the borewell, contaminating the groundwater table from where it draws water, alleged the villagers.
For the past three months, they have frequently complained about contaminated water being supplied by the village panchayat. This has led to several cases of diarrhoea, stomach pain, and vomiting.
On December 20, the residents raised the issue with the village secretary and the Pallipattu Block Development Officer (BDO), urging them to rectify the situation. However, even after two deaths occurred, officials have reportedly not yet visited the villagers.
Speaking to DT Next, N Elavarasan, deputy secretary of the Tamil Maanila Bahujan Samaj Party, said a villager named MC Ezhumalai developed health complications and was taken to Athimancheripettai Primary Health Centre (PHC) on December 23, from where he was sent to the Tiruvallur Government Hospital, before being admitted to RGGGH on December 24, where he died the next day.
The next victim was Sudha, a mother of two, who died on December 27 after experiencing vomiting and fainting on the morning of December 26. “She was taken to the Athimancheripettai PHC and later admitted to the Sholingur Government Hospital for further treatment. She was declared dead on December 27. We refuse to receive Sudha’s body from the hospital until we receive compensation for the loss of an innocent life,” added Elavarasan.
When asked, an official said water samples from the borewell have been sent for testing by the Health Department. “A new borewell will be dug there to provide drinking water to the villagers.