Diarrhoea death toll rises to 14

Guntur: With the death of one more patient at the Government General Hospital (GGH) here on Friday, the death toll rises to 14 during the past 15 days in the city. Rattaih (30), a resident of Nallacheruvu, who was undergoing treatment for diarrhoea for the past few days, died here on Friday.

It is learnt that 30 more patients were admitted to the GGH for diarrhoea treatment. Special wards, which were set up for diarrheoa, were flooded with patients. In all, 120 were undergoing treatment at the GGH. 

According to sources, when the dirarrhoea deaths started  officials did not send the actual report to the government  for taking steps to  check diarrhoea which led to the rise of diarrhoea deaths in the city.

MLA Md Mustafa, YSRCP city president Lella Appi Reddy and others staged a dharna with the body Rattaih demanding ex gratia to the kin of the deceased. 

Addressing a gathering, Mustafa lambasted the government for its failure to check diarrhoea deaths. Drinking of contaminated water which was supplied by the Guntur Municipal Corporation, was the reason for diarrhea deaths, he pointed out. He demanded that the government take steps to supply fresh drinking water.

YSRCP city president Lella Appi Reddy demanded that the government shift  drinking water pipelines from the drains immediately  and pay ex gratia to the kin of Rattaiah.

Meanwhile, director of municipal administration Kanna Babu, GMC commissioner Challa Anuradha  inspected drinking water pipelines shifting from drains in the Old City in Guntur. He deputed municipal  commissioners from Krishna, Prakasam  and Guntur districts and allotted  work to them.

They are touring the Old City to supervise  sanitation and drinking  water pipelines shifting works. Speaking on the occasion, Kanna Babu directed the officials to expedite drinking water pipeline shifting works from drains and lay new pipelines.