Daringbadi: While coronavirus has been a cause of concern for people across the state, villagers of B Dakebadi under Daringbadi panchayat in Kandhamal district are fighting a different battle against fever and dysentery.
More than 20 villagers of this village have been suffering from the disease for ten days now.
Meanwhile, a medical team visited some of the affected families to check the heal condition of some of the victims. That said, some of the villagers said that many more were yet to receive medical help.
Some of the patients were rushed to nearby private clinics and some to government hospitals after their condition worsened.
The doctors treating these patients were of the opinion that contaminated drinking water is causing the health issue in the village.
Some of the villagers, meanwhile, suggested that getting pure drinking water in the village has long been an issue in summer. The lone well in their village gets contaminated and the water level also goes down, they added.
Residents of B Dakebadi urged the administration to take steps to facilitate potable drinking water and send sufficient numbers of medical teams to their village.
Daringbadi community health centre (CHC) in charge Dr Jaypal Senapati said that the village has a well. But the villagers are still using water from pits. That is the reason behind them falling sick.
Six of the patients are undergoing treatment at the CHC and their swab samples will be sent for COVID test, Senapati added.