1 die, 11 hospitalized after drinking water laced with pesticide in Hubballi

HUBBALLI: A 70-year-old woman died and 11 people were hospitalized after drinking water poisoned with pesticide in two villages of Yadgir district on Thursday. Police said some miscreants had mixed pesticide into a valve junction through which water reaches Teggihalli and Shakapur villages of Surpur taluk from a well 7km away. Police said four teams have been formed to nab the criminals.
Teggihalli and Shakapur get drinking water through a pipeline from a well in Mudnur village twice or thrice a week. Around 3pm on Wednesday, some miscreants poured pesticide into the valve junction, poisoning the water reaching the villages, deputy SP Shivanagowda Patil said. Shakapur is just 5km from Mudnur. The incident spread panic, coming weeks after pesticide in prasadam killed 17 people in Sulwadi in Chamarajanagar district.

Soon after drinking the water, villagers complained of stomach ache and vomiting. Seventy-year-old Honnamma Mallappa Pujari of Teggihalli died following complications on way to Kalaburagi hospital early on Thursday morning. Five people from Teggihalli and six from Shakapur were taken ill. They were admitted to Kembhavi primary health centre. Two of them were discharged while eight were shifted to Shahapur taluk hospital for further treatment. All are said to be out of danger, sources said.

As people fell ill, villagers alerted others not to drink water within an hour of pumping. This prevented further casualties, officials said.

“We have formed four teams to investigate the incident. We are investigating suspects. A case has been registered at Kembhavi police station,” Patil said.

Senior medical officer Dr Santosh Alagur said: “We suspected that people consumed water laced with pesticide used for the paddy crop. About 11 villagers were vomiting and complained of stomach ache and were admitted to Kembhavi hospital. Honnamma’s condition deteriorated and she died on way to Kalaburagi hospital.”

Yadgir deputy commissioner Kurma Rao M said: “We have already sent water samples to the forensic lab in Kalaburagi to identify the toxin mixed in the water. We are waiting for Honnamma’s postmortem. Once we get the reports, we will know the exact reason for the death and illness of people. We will announce compensation to the kin of the deceased after that.”