On Tuesday, two minor children died and over 50 people were admitted to hospital after consuming contaminated water in Aligarh’s Salgama village. Out of almost 100 people who developed symptoms like vomiting and stomach ache, 70 were children.

Almost 53 kids are being treated at local Charra community health centre and two private hospitals. District magistrate CB Singh confessed that villagers had fallen sick due to water contamination in the village. He said that villagers had been advised to take necessary precautions. He also added that possibly rain water contaminated the surface water.

Chief Medical Officer Dr ML Agarwal said that the situation is now under control. He said that children have been admitted to hospitals to monitor their condition. He also said that around 26 other patients, including three adults, visited the OPD today with the complaints of stomach ache and medicines were prescribed with thorough examination.

Dr Agarwal said that the exact cause of death of the children was not known instantly as the autopsy was yet to be done. He said that the teams of doctors have been sent to the affected village and they are monitoring the circumstances. Epidemiologist and other specialists have also been made available over there and chlorine tablets and ORS packets are being distributed in the village.

After getting the water sample reports, the cause of contamination would be known, said the DM. He also said that the private hospitals are instructed not to charge any fee from the patients and the government would bear all treatment expenses.