‘A well in a Telangana village has earned the name “Well of Death” after its water was found to be contaminated with hazardous chemicals. Locals have reported severe health issues, prompting authorities to investigate the source of the pollution. The toxic water threatens the livelihood of hundreds in the region.
These deaths are Telangana’s irony. In India’s first state to boast of 100% tap water supply, death came in the form of contaminated water but it was politics that took precedence.
Sreelatha, a few months pregnant, sat silently with her mother-in-law Susheela on the steps of their house at Sanjeeva Rao Peta village of Narayankhed Mandal in Telangana’s Sangareddy district.
Both women remained silent, staring at a distance with a blank look. A few women from the neighbourhood have gathered at the house, and spoke in hushed tones, eyes fixed on a baby in Sreelatha’s arms.
Sreelatha’s older son, aged eight months, sat on her lap, his movements slow as if he understood something had gone terribly wrong.
He would hardly remember time spent with his father, 23-year-old Buddi Mahesh. For the boy and his yet-to-be-born sibling, Mahesh would be a fading photograph on the wall.
Little did the family know that in Hyderabad, their son’s death had become political ammo.
Irony of Telangana
Mahesh’s father Malaiah stood at the gate, trying in vain to distance himself from the loss. Malaiah had unbelievably lost his son to contaminated water.
The young man’s premature death is Telangana’s irony. The first state to claim 100 percent tap water supply in India has failed to provide clean water, leaving Sreelatha a widow and two children with scant memories of their father.
Mahesh was not the only one in Sanjeeva Rao Peta to contract diarrhoea after drinking contaminated water. A 70-year-old villager, Saiamma, too, has had the same fate as the young man. She was the second to die in the village of diarrhoea till Monday, 14 October.
Another 60 were lucky enough to live to tell the tale of the elixir of life turning fatal in their village. As many as 26 people were still in hospitals at the time of filing this report.
The tragedy
It was a normal village night on 10 October. Mahesh went to bed after dinner but woke with a rumbling in the stomach around three.
As he left the bed, little did he know that his family’s life would be upended in a few hours.
Mahesh visited the washroom multiple times before daybreak. As the sun rose, fatigue had overcome him.
“I woke him up around seven,” Susheela recalled. “He looked weak, and when I asked him to eat, he said he felt like throwing up,” she added.
“He was so weak that he couldn’t even move. I asked him to go to the hospital but he said he was too weak to walk. So, I went to the Primary Health Center and got some tablets. After taking them, he just kept vomiting,” the mother said.
She realised that something was not right. Mahesh’s eyes were half closed and barely spoke. Whenever he spoke, it made him weaker.
Race against time
“I went back to the hospital to get more tablets and oral rehydration solution. He took them, but the vomiting continued. The doctor referred him to the government hospital in Narayankhed, where he was put on saline but he continued to vomit and had loose stools,” she recalled.
Mahesh’s relatives knew time was running out for them.
“His aunt, uncle, and I took him to a private hospital in an ambulance. He ate an apple there, started sweating profusely, and became weaker. He kept vomiting and complained of severe stomach pain,” Susheela, who till then remained strong before her daughter-in-law, broke down.
Sreelatha clutched her son tight. Susheela wiped her face with her saree’s pallu and glanced at the younger woman.
“I don’t know what to do now,” Susheela fixed her gaze on the ground.
District health officials said Mahesh initially suffered from diarrhoea and developed appendicitis during his treatment at the Sangareddy private hospital. He eventually succumbed to his illness.
Saiamma, who also had diarrhoea, passed away due to her age-related health conditions, they said.
Susheela was not satisfied with the explanation. “I even kneeled in front of MLA P Sanjeeva Reddy, begging him to take care of our family,” her face once again became expressionless.
Well of death
The villagers were unaware that the water supplied was contaminated, as only a few individuals in different households fell ill. However, on Saturday, 12 October, when a large number of people suddenly got sick, the realisation dawned on them.
Sanjeeva Rao Peta has four water tanks. A few days ago, when the motor pump of one of the tanks was sent for repairs, the water department temporarily connected the supply pipeline to an old well to ensure an undisrupted water supply.
On Monday, 14 October, the well behind the village’s veterinary hospital has almost dried up. A small tortoise looked up from among dead leaves and bits of paper at the bottom of the well.
“They cleaned it yesterday after the incident,” a teenager said, peering down the well.
“This well was half-filled with water and had a layer of garbage floating. In the past, even a dog had fallen into this well. They still drew water from this well to supply water to the 120 houses in the Backward Community’s colony,” the boy said.
Late realisation
Additional Collector Chandrashekar Badugu told #Khabarlive that the officials and elected representatives have identified areas affected by water contamination.
“There is a well in this village that has been a source of freshwater for many years. However, over time, pollution in the nearby ponds and lakes made it unsafe for use,” he explained.
“Later, under Mission Bhagiratha, new water connections were established, providing clean water to the village. But due to a motor repair issue over the last 2-3 days, regular water supply was interrupted, Badugu said.
“Water from the well was used as a stopgap arrangement. Around 120 households received water from this well, and unfortunately, those who drank it fell ill,” he added.
Regular water supply has now been restored in the village.
When asked about who would shoulder the responsibility for the deaths, the additional collector said a thorough investigation had been launched.
“As of now, no officials have been suspended. Once all the details are verified, we will discuss the compensation for the affected families,” he stated.
People in hospital
Badugu said nearly 25 people reported severe symptoms of diarrhoea after consuming the contaminated water..
“The medical department immediately responded by providing treatment to those affected. Some patients were admitted to the government general hospital in Sangareddy, others were referred to the area hospital in Narayankhed,” he said.
“Some are receiving care at the local health sub-center. Depending on the severity of each case, we’ve taken all necessary precautions to ensure that the condition of those admitted stabilises,” the official further stated.
“We’ve also begun a survey in coordination with the panchayat and ASHA workers to assess the situation. Meanwhile, the medical camp that was set up three days ago will continue to prevent further cases of dysentery or gastroenteritis in the village,” he added.
At the village’s health sub-centre, two men and as many women were lying on plastic mats, receiving IV fluids.
“Today, we received four cases,” the doctor at the centre said. “Two of them were discharged as they showed improvement. We have an ambulance on standby to transfer patients to advanced medical centres if needed,” she added.
The doctor said people started arriving with complaints of loose motion, vomiting and stomachache since 11 October morning.
“Severe cases were referred to the Narayankhed Area Hospital. Most of the affected individuals are adults over the age of 30,” she said.
At the Narayankhed Area Hospital, a separate ward has been set up for these patients. “None of them are in a critical condition. The initial few cases were serious and were referred to the Government General Hospital in Sangareddy,” the duty doctor told #Khabarlive.
Politics, as usual
“Atrocious… Two lives have been lost after drinking contaminated water, and many others have fallen seriously ill,” BRS working president KT Rama Rao said.
“The KCR government accomplished Mission Bhagiratha like no other state in the country, providing water across Telangana, but recent failures have come to light,” he said.
“The inability to properly manage the purification and distribution of Krishna and Godavari river water has led to this tragedy. The deaths due to contaminated water in Sanjeevan Rao Peta are a failure of the Congress government!”
He called on the state government to support the families of the deceased, provide adequate medical assistance to those undergoing treatment, and take immediate steps to prevent such incidents from occurring anywhere in Telangana.
The BRS further claimed that residents of the two affected BC colonies were forced to draw water from an old well after the Mission Bhagiratha water supply was interrupted. The claim was incorrect.
The local MLA, Sanjeeva Reddy, visited the village and assured the residents that he would address the issues they have been facing. However, the villagers remained angry.
“You’re now getting the tank cleaned and asking the sanitation workers to tidy up the streets because of this incident,” one villager fumed.
“Why wasn’t this done earlier to prevent the problem? You’re visiting the family of the deceased, who already struggle with limited resources, but you haven’t even promised to help them or provided any compensation,” he targeted his anger at the MLA. #hydkhabar
About The Author
