The residents of Checki Wangund Dooru area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district Fridaystaged protest against Public Health Engineering (PHE) department for failing to supply pure water in their area.The residents blocked Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in their area and were chanting slogans like ‘we want justice’.The residents alleged that due to the unsafe water in their area, the several cases of Hepatitis-E have been reported in their area. “The unsafe water supply in our area has caused several infectious diseases while some among us are Hepatitis-E positive. The authorities seem reluctant to take necessary steps over it thereby leaving us to suffer,” they said.According to KNS correspondent, the residents threatened to launch agitation if the authorities will fail to provide safe water supply in their area.
Meanwhile, BMO Qazigund, Dr MY Zagoo while talking to KNS correspondent admitted that positive cases of Hepatitis-E has been reported in the area and said, “More than 107 samples of residents were taken from the area in which 35 has been suspected and 8 has been detected of Hepatitis E.”He said that Hepatitis-E is water born disease and said that the medical team has been deputed to the area and precautionary measures are being taken to prevent the infection from spreading.“The infection is transmitted mainly through contaminated drinking water. It is usually a self-limiting infection and resolves within 4–6 weeks. The medical team is also going to conduct awareness program to prevent the spread of infection,” he said.He said that situation was “under control” and the villagers don’t need to panic. “Prevention of this disease is to drink clean drinking water, good sanitation, and to take proper personal hygiene,” he said. (KNS)