Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has summoned the principal secretaries of health, panchayati raj and water resources departments in connection with the deaths of some people at Kanas block in Puri who allegedly died after consuming contaminated water from Daya river. The OHRC has also summoned the Puri district collector in this regard.
Based on a complaint filed by former Satyabadi MLA Ramaranjan Baliarsingh, the commission asked the secretaries of the three departments to appear before it in person to clarify the allegation. Baliarsingh, in his complaint, alleged that people from seven families in Kanas block died after consuming the contaminated water of the river. “Many people died, while a few were hospitalised,” he claimed.
In December, the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) had slammed the state govt for polluting the Daya river. The CAG had noted that the Daya west irrigation canal has been virtually converted into a sewage waste drain. It stated that contaminated water was being supplied for irrigation. The CAG also pointed out that water pollution and contamination led to 42.24 lakh people being affected by acute diarrhoea, 4.63 lakh by typhoid, 12,000 by hepatitis and another 12,000 by renal diseases during 2017-22.
“River pollution is at the highest level across the state. The sewerage water is directly dumped into different rivers, leading to its contamination. Consuming such contaminated water is harmful for health,” environmentalist Sailabala Padhi said.