At least 20 cases of jaundice have so far been detected in the Ganga Mandir area of the city and the water-borne disease is attributed to contaminated drinking water supplied to the households through broken pipes.
Residents allege that although officials of the civic body were aware of the broken pipes in the area for long, no effort was made to change the pipes or for supply of potable water through tankers.
Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) officials said water samples of the area would be collected for examination. “Steps have been taken to replace the broken pipes in a war footing manner,” they said.
Newly-appointed CMC Commissioner Ananya Das said halogen tablets are now being distributed in the entire affected area. “An open well in the locality will be chlorinated soon while emphasis will be given to conduct an awareness programme,” she said.