Acting on the direction of district Collector Debaraj Senapati, a joint inquiry was organised into the mass death of mice at Baliraj and Khamarapada villages on Monday by CDVO Chaityan Charan Sethy, Assistant Veterinary Surgeon Simphony Mohanty, Deputy Director of Agriculture Praffula Chandra Mishra, Additional Medical Officer (Public Health) Dr Mirja Babar Baig and other officials.
CDVO Sethy said the reports of dead rodents samples from Bhubaneswar on Saturday confirmed the deaths were due to some poisonous effect.
So, the Agriculture Department has collected soil samples from the agriculture field at Baliraj village and also food grain samples, including rice, green gram and black gram, from Hrushikesh Malla and Ramakanta Sahu’s house at Baliraj. According to DDA Praffula Chandra Mishra, since long years, the locals have been using fertiliser to produce paddy and other pulses in the locality. But never have they witnessed that rodents were killed. So, the rodents might have not died due to the residual effect of poison.
He said that the soil samples had been sent to OUAT and food grain samples to the Bureau of Indian Standard lab at Bhubaneswar to ascertain any residual toxicity pesticide effect.
Similarly, the veterinary personnel also collected the rainwater from the agriculture field to conduct examination. The Health Department collected water sample, where the rodents were found floating dead, from the well of Madhusudan Ojha of Baliraj. The water sample is going to be sent to Industrial Management Training Institute at Acharyavihar to ascertain the reason behind the death of rodents, informed ADMO Dr Mirja Babar Baig.
The Health Department with the help of local ASHA has started disinfecting the wells at Baliraj and Khamarapada. 17 wells were disinfected at Baliraj on Sunday with bleaching powder. Meanwhile, the Veterinary Department has decided to open a camp at Baliraj to take stock of the situation on regular basis.