BELLARY: As many as ten of the 11 drinking water samples collected from various parts of Hospet have been found to be contaminated.

They number of bacteria in a 100 ml sample has been found to be between 50 to 180 as against the permissible limit of ten, according to District Health Officer Hanumaiah.

Over 250 persons in Hospet have been suffering from gastroenteritis for the past one week. Consumption of contaminated water is said to be the main reason for the outbreak of the illness in several parts of the city including Chitawadigi, Patel Nagar, Ranipet and Amaravati.

Dr. Hanumaiah told The Hindu that the sample collected from the water purification plant near Tungabhadra dam did not contain any bacteria. But bacteria were found in samples from two other plants.

Steps had been initiated to clean the seven overhead tanks supplying drinking water to the city, with help from the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board. Efforts were being made to find out from where the contamination had originated.

Meanwhile, 22 people with gastroenteritis have been admitted to the 100-bed hospital here on Thursday.

Precaution

Dr. Hanumaiah said that following precautionary measures and immediate treatment given to the patients, the severity of the issue had come down to a considerable extent.

He said that there was sufficient stock of all the required medicines at the hospital. He appealed to the public to consume boiled water.

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