Three deaths in Tiruchi's Woraiyur not due to water contamination, says Minister in Assembly
Tamil Nadu's Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply K.N. Nehru on Monday (April 21, 2025) rejected claims that the three deaths in Woraiyur, Tiruchi, were due to water contamination in the area. He further contended that the distribution of buttermilk and cold drinks during a recent festival in nearby areas could have caused several people to fall ill.
In his reply to a special calling attention motion moved by Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami and others in the Assembly, Mr. Nehru said there was no evidence that a four-year-old child had died due to diarrhoea from consuming contaminated water, according to the preliminary autopsy report. He added that a 90-year-old woman who died had been ill for the past 10 days, while the third deceased, a 53-year-old woman, had a heart ailment and died of cardiac arrest at her residence.
After seven individuals complained of vomitting and diarrhoea in wards 8 and 10 of the Woraiyur area of Tiruchi Corporation on April 18, a team comprising 286 persons, including doctors, nurses, and health inspectors, was constituted. It took necessary steps, the Minister said.
The officials surveyed 1,492 houses and screened 6,416 individuals. A total of 53 individuals, including 29 women and six children, were admitted as in-patients to both government and private hospitals.
Nine special health teams organised camps, in which 28 were treated as out-patients. Of them, five were referred to State-run hospitals, he said. As part of precautionary measures, medicines, ORS, among others were distributed to 11,875 individuals, and water samples have been collected from six locations and sent for laboratory testing, he said. Meanwhile, 10 monitoring teams have been constituted, and they have been inspecting all the houses in the area.
'Action against buttermilk distributors'
Even so, diarrhoea was also being reported in nearby rural areas where a Chithirai car festival was held recently in which food, buttermilk, and cold drinks were distributed to people, Mr. Nehru said. 'It is possible that they could have been the causes for diarrhoea. Since the piping is different from areas under the Corporation areas and rural areas, there is no chance that this was because of drinking water supply,' he contended.
However, as part of precautionary measures, water supply has been stopped, and it was being supplied through tanker lorries, the Minister said. On testing, it was found that the water was found to be fit for human consumption, he said. On April 19, a total of 39 individuals were admitted as a precautionary measure, and so were 14 individuals the following day, and all of them were alright now, he said. The situation was under control, he assured.
Expressing suspicion over the buttermilk and cold drinks supplied during the festival, the Minister said he has instructed for the identification of those responsible for their distribution and to initiate action against them. Panruti MLA T. Velmurugan, VCK's S.S. Balaji, CPI (M)'s V.P. Nagaimaali, PMK's G.K. Mani, and Congress' J.G. Prince also spoke, moving the special calling attention motion in the House over the issue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
‘Vomited, tried cleaning it up': Family questions IIT Delhi scholar's death on campus
A 25-year-old PhD student at IIT Delhi was found dead in his hostel room on Wednesday under mysterious circumstances. The family, while speaking exclusively to Firstpost, has ruled out suicide as the cause of death. read more Ayush Singhal, a 25-year-old PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at IIT Delhi, was found dead in his hostel room on Wednesday. His family, who remember him as a bright and diligent scholar with aspirations to advance biomedical research after initially studying dentistry, do not believe he died by suicide and suspect other causes instead. 'He had returned from AIIMS, where he was working on a project, had his dinner, and went for a walk with a friend. On Wednesday, when we couldn't get in touch with him, we informed the university,' said his maternal uncle, Harish Garg. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He said, 'There were anti-vomiting medicines and a bottle of ORS near him. It looked like he had tried to clean up vomit beside his bed'. Singhal's PhD research was based at IIT Delhi, with much of his lab work conducted at AIIMS. After the administration intervened, his room door was forcibly opened, and he was found unresponsive on his bed. There were no visible external injuries, but vomit on the floor suggested possible health complications. 'It could be food poisoning or a heart attack. We will know more after the post-mortem,' Garg said. The family is awaiting the outcome of the post-mortem at Safdarjung Hospital. His mother fainted at the hospital due to the shock. Singhal is survived by his mother and younger sister; his father, a dentist, passed away in 2002. IIT Delhi officials expressed deep grief over the incident and extended full support to the family. Dean of Student Affairs, Professor BK Panigrahi, is reported to have written an email to students, urging them to seek counselling if needed and emphasised the importance of supporting each other during this difficult time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This death has drawn attention to a worrying pattern on the IIT Delhi campus, where several students have died under similar circumstances. Official records, cited in media reports, indicate that at least 12 students have died on campus between 2006 and 2024, with many cases involving isolation and delayed discovery of the body. The majority were male students, and the deaths span undergraduate to PhD levels, with some ruled suicides and others under investigation. Current and former students describe a culture of intense academic pressure and social isolation, especially among PhD scholars, who often have small social circles confined mostly to their labs. Safety protocols limiting hostel room access have inadvertently reduced peer interaction, making it difficult to check on students who become unresponsive. One PhD student, quoted by The Indian Express, said, 'The life of a PhD student is completely different in an IIT. We are in our own world and more isolated than the rest of the MTech or BTech students. Our social circles are small, and mostly our peers in the labs would know more about what is happening with us than the ones in the hostel or other friends on campus.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Following up on previous demands, IIT Delhi had commissioned an external committee to examine the institutional environment related to student suicides. The report, submitted in August 2024, highlighted high academic pressure, toxic competitiveness, and also indicated caste and gender discrimination as key issues. However, the institute only publicly acknowledged these findings in April 2025 and is now working on a comprehensive action plan to improve student support structures. The circumstances surrounding Ayush Singhal's death remain under investigation by the Delhi Police, with the post-mortem report awaited to clarify the cause. Family and friends have not raised suspicions of foul play, but the family's doubts about suicide persist.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
7.2k get free treatment at 487 medical camps in Cachar flood-affected zones
1 2 Silchar: As floodwaters begin to recede across the Barak Valley, Cachar emerged as a model of proactive healthcare response, with authorities conducting 487 medical camps in affected areas between June 1 and June 6 in the first phase. Over 7,200 patients have received free treatment as part of this relief effort. Led by DC (Cachar) Mridul Yadav and backed by local MLA and minister Kaushik Rai, the district administration, in coordination with the health department, mobilised static medical teams to relief camps across Silchar and Katigorah. Such camps will continue till the situation normalises. Each team comprises doctors, nurses, and paramedics offering round-the-clock medical services to the affected population. "Health is a top priority in these operations, and we are ensuring no one is left unattended," said minister Rai during a visit to one of the camps, where he was lauded for his direct engagement with affected communities. DC Yadav underlined a people-first approach to crisis management. "We are committed to ensuring every resident gets immediate assistance — be it health, food, or shelter," he said. Joint director of health services Dr Shibananda Roy, disaster management nodal officer Dr Rohan Biswas, and NHM official Rahul Ghose are coordinating the massive outreach, which includes screening for flood-related diseases like diarrhoea, skin infections and vector-related illnesses, along with care for chronic ailments such as hypertension and diabetes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo In addition to general consultations and medicine distribution, the camps offer tuberculosis screening, blood pressure and sugar checks, and hygiene counselling. ASHA workers have also set up dedicated breastfeeding corners to support maternal and infant health. Key medicines such as paracetamol, ORS, zinc, antifungals, and antiseptics are being widely distributed to curb potential outbreaks. This swift and coordinated healthcare response has drawn widespread appreciation, with officials and frontline workers receiving appreciation for their diligence and empathy. The effort is being hailed as a benchmark for medical outreach in disaster-hit zones, bringing not just relief but also a sense of resilience and hope to thousands affected by the floods.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
BRS MLA from Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills, Maganti Gopinath passes away
HYDERABAD: BRS MLA from Jubilee Hills, Maganti Gopinath, passed away at a corporate hospital on Sunday morning. Gopinath , who suffered a massive heart attack on June 5, was undergoing treatment and breathed his last at 5.45 am. The three-time MLA from Jubilee Hills had been suffering from various health issues over the past year. The 62-year-old Gopinath, who was serving as the president of the Greater Hyderabad BRS wing and MLA of Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, began his political journey with the Telugu Desam Party in 1983. He served as president of the TDP youth wing, Telugu Yuvatha, from 1985 to 1992 and also held the post of TDP Hyderabad district president. Gopinath worked as director of the then Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for two years, from 1987 to 1989. He was also a member of the Hyderabad District Consumer Forum. As an MLA, Gopinath won for the first time in 2014 on a TDP ticket and later joined the BRS. He went on to contest and win on a BRS ticket again in the 2018 and 2023 Assembly polls. In the 2023 election, he defeated former Indian cricket captain Mohd Azharuddin by a margin of 16,000 votes. He is survived by his wife, Sunitha, son Vatsalyanath, and two daughters, Akshata and Disira. BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, working president K T Rama Rao, Union minister G Kishan Reddy, and former ministers T Harish Rao and Talasani Srinivas Yadav were among several leaders who condoled the MLA's death.
