Pesticide residues in a nearby water reservoir are the cause of the mysterious deaths of 17 people in a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, The Indian Express reported citing sources.
A source linked to the investigation told The Indian Express that the victims are suspected to have consumed water from this reservoir.
However, sources from the local authorities have not yet confirmed a direct link between the contaminated water and the deaths. The cause of contamination has also yet to be identified by the authorities.
Seventeen members of three families from Rajouri’s Budhal village have lost their lives due to mysterious illness.
A central team is currently in Rajouri to assist the local administration in the investigation, sources told The Indian Express. The team has prima facie ruled out the possibility of any “mystery disease” outbreak. This means the possibility of an outbreak caused by a virus or bacteria has been ruled out.
Teams from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are also deployed to the area for investigation purpose.
Sources also confirmed that the local administration has passed an order to block and seal the baoli (reservoir). “There is an apprehension that the tribal population of the village may collect the flowing water of this spring stealthily,” the order read.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah formed an inter-ministerial team on Saturday to investigate the mysterious illness. The team visited the village to determine the cause of the deaths.
The team is led by officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and includes representatives from the ministries of Health, Agriculture, and other departments.
The source emphasised that the team collected water samples from the area and found traces of pesticides during their initial examination. The team also included experts from the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. “For now, the district administration has been directed to seal the baoli and ensure that all villagers undergo medical examinations,” the source said.
However, the team has not yet confirmed if the deaths are linked to the pesticides, as investigation is currently going on.
Earlier, local authorities screened 9,000 to 10,000 houses to collect data on the presence of any virus or bacteria.
Dr M L Raina, CMO Rajouri, said, “We have repeatedly screened the 1600-1700 houses. We have screened out 9000-10000 houses from door to door. I have on-record data, day-wise data and date-wise data. There are our medical mobile units. There is a team of doctors from the National Health Organization. Along with that, we have a lab system too.”
“A team of experts that previously investigated the deaths did not detect any bacteria or viruses in the samples. They also examined the water and food sources,” said a senior health official.
During the suspected outbreak of the illness, local authorities collected samples from sick individuals or those who had contact with the ill or deceased. They also implemented isolation measures to stop the spread of disease while the samples were tested.
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J&K deaths ‘not due to mysterious illness’, report points to pesticides in drinking water reservoir
