The Municipal Administration Department began taking measures on a war-footing to contain the spread of gastroenteritis in parts of Old Guntur as the number of people visiting the hospitals is coming down.
A team of senior officials from the MAD led by Principal Secretary K.Valavan, Director of Municipal Administration K. Kanna Babu and Municipal Commissioner C. Anuradha on Thursday inspected the affected areas in Anandpet 3rd lane, Baraimam Panja and Chinna Bazaar and instructed the engineers to replace the existing water pipeline extending up to 26 km. The pipeline, laid 30 years back, got corroded.
District Collector and Special Officer of GMC Kona Sasidhar has already instructed the GMC to stop water supply to areas under the BR Stadium water tank. Water supply has been provided by tankers.
Mr. Valavan also said all water tap connections lying on the open drain would be removed and shifted to the houses. The GMC engineering department has identified 225 water taps to be shifted and began the operations.
The officials also interacted with family members of Sk. Bibijan, 68, who died of suspected GE on Tuesday. Bibijan was from Anandapet and died at GGH after being admitted on Sunday. Later, they visited the medical camp set up at Shadikhana in Imam Panja and instructed health wing officers to shift those with GE-related symptoms to the emergency ward at the GGH.
“We have begun super chlorination of water supplied from the water tank near BR Stadium and extended it to Lanchester Road. The chlorine level is 5 mg per litre and we expect that the chlorination would kill all the harmful bacteria and virus in the water,’’ said SE, GMC, Mariyanna.
The engineering wing also collected water samples from various houses but the percentage of chlorine could not be ascertained .
