DHENKANAL: The day temperature hovered around 45 degree Celsius across Dhenkanal district making people reel under sultry conditions. The rapidly rising mercury coupled with erratic water and power supply has hit life in the district for the last five days. According to sources, as many as 80 people are suffering from diarrhoea and water infections for the last two days in Kamakshyanagar, Rekula, Alutama and Sadar area. Most of them are admitted to Kamakshyanagar sub-divisional hospital besides local hospitals. However, the health authorities in the district headquarters are ill-equipped to treat heatwave patients, who are swelling by the day. Doctors say increasing temperature has affected people who suffer from diarrhoea and related diseases. Five persons have so far died of sunstroke in the district. The farming community too is facing the consequences of the extreme temperature. With no water supply to the fields and orchards, thousands of mango saplings are set to die. The PHED authorities too have come under attack by the locals for not treating drinking water before supplying it to the consumers. Kalpana Behera, a homemaker, said though she collects water from PHED supply pipe there is a large amount of dust in it. PHED Assistant Engineer BS Mohanty said the dust levels are due to increasing iron content in the water and though we are mixing bleaching powder to kill bacteria it may not be very effective as pipes spread for more than 65 km from the distribution end. “We are still vigilant on water supply but shortage of staff for repair of tubewells in municipal limits has made things difficult,” he said. CDMO Dr BC Behera cited polluted water as the cause behind increasing cases of dehydration. RWSS and PHED departments must make an assessment of situation on priority. Mohanty on his part claimed that their officials are providing water after chemical treatment with proper dose in Kamakshyanagar NAC. Kamakshyanagar junior engineer Prahallad Natha said their officials have expedited disinfection drive. Till Thursday they disinfected nearly 100 tubewells and 40 open wells.Malkangiri: Life has come to a standstill in Malkangiri with the mercury hovering over 42 degree C. Heatwave along with humidity has made life miserable in the district.Water crisis has only added to the people’s woes.
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