ELURU: The threat of gastroenteritis looms large over the city following hospitalisation of nearly 50 persons with symptoms of the disease in the last two days. The Eluru Municipal Corporation (EMC) on Tuesday opened a makeshift hospital at Filaspet. EMC Health Officer R. Malathi said 17 persons were shifted to the district headquarters hospital for administration of intravenous fluids. Medical teams, led by District Medical and Health Officer D.S. Sarma, visited the affected areas and monitored the situation on Tuesday.

Contamination of drinking water supplied by the corporation due to mixing of water pipelines with drainage ones was suspected to be the reason for the problem.

However, Dr. Malathi said most of the people had diarrhoea mainly from Filaspet after having a community lunch arranged in connection with Sri Rama Navami.

Water supply hit

It could be either contamination of water or food served at the community lunch, she added. Meanwhile, erratic power supply hit the drinking water supply in the city. Mayor Kare Babu Rao said private tankers were engaged for water supply.

Even as the authorities of Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited had been resorting to power-cuts for more than eight hours a day in different spells, it had become quite difficult for personnel of the EMC's water supply department to fill the reservoirs. Eight-hour uninterrupted power supply was necessary to fill each reservoir.

It was beyond the EMC's viability to depend on generators.

"The EMC has to incur Rs. 10,000 on diesel for generators every day. When the corporation is not able to pay salaries to its employees, how can it afford to supply water with generators?" asks the Mayor.

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