Karnataka: Elderly woman dies after consuming contaminated water, 15 others hospitalised

An elderly woman died after consuming contaminated water in the Koppal district of Karnataka. Fifteen others have also been undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the district. A temporary hospital has also been set up at the village school.

Gangavati: A 65-year-old woman died and 15 others were admitted to a hospital after drinking contaminated water at Basarihala village in Karnataka's Koppal district on Monday. Officials from the district administration and health department rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. A makeshift hospital and drinking water facilities were arranged in the village. The deceased has been identified as Honnamma Shivappa, a resident of Basarihala village. The elderly woman was admitted to the Taluk Hospital three days ago. She had symptoms of vomiting and dehydration. The woman died on Monday as she was not responding to treatment.

The villagers assume that rainwater mixing with the drinking water was the reason for contamination. The office-bearers of the Gram Panchayat were also not paying attention to the villagers' complaints regarding impurities in the drinking water. Among the 15 hospitalised, the condition of two was stated to be serious. The duo has been admitted to the district hospital at Koppal.

For the past three days, people in Basarihala village were hospitalised with symptoms of vomiting and dehydration. The villagers fell sick after consuming the contaminated water, said an official. "Unfortunately, a 65-years old woman died. The cause of death was not known. We have not received the medical report of the deceased. It seems that contaminated drinking was the reason for the death," the official added.

A team of four doctors and 20 paramedics have been camping in the village. Four standby ambulances have also been made available to rush villagers in case of emergency. The temporary hospital has been set up at a government-run village school.