Lucknow shelter home deaths: Choked sewers, waterlogging behind water contamination at shelter home?
Lucknow officials investigate the deaths of five children at a rehab centre, focusing on sewage issues and testing food and water samples for safety.
Even as the search for the cause of death of five rehab centre children and hospitalisation of others continues, Lucknow district magistrate Vishak G on Saturday said, “The sansthan (Nirvan Rajkiya Bal Griha Visheshikrit) has raised waterlogging and sewage issues.”
“The investigation is covering various parameters,” he added.
Food and water samples have also been sent for testing, and results of all are awaited.
He further said, “Eighteen food samples have been collected for testing and sent to the Food Safety and Drugs Administration, and microbial tests for the water are underway.”
He also said that sewage and waterlogging issues have been identified at the facility, and an estimate has been prepared for the installation of an STP (Sewage Treatment Plan) as soon as possible.
“The Jalkal and Jal Nigam have been tasked with this job,” the district magistrate said.
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Although the sewage problem is not new to the shelter home, it was shared by the Nirvan Rajkiya Bal Griha Visheshikrit and learned by the DM’s team during the course of this investigation, people familiar with matter said.
The probe team constituted by the DM consists of additional district magistrate Jyoti Gautam, two sub-divisional magistrates, the medical officer in charge (MOIC), a backward class welfare officer, a food safety officer and the district probation officer.
Also Read: Probe yet to come up with answers, 20 kids still in hospital
A woman and child development worker, who visited the centre, said on condition of anonymity, “There has been an existent sewage problem with the Nirvan shelter and the neighbouring Bal Griha, but such an illness outbreak had not occurred before, which may have led them to ignore the potential risk.”
Also Read: Lucknow: Rehab centre kids’ deaths raise questions about past cases
An estimate has also been shared with the Women and Child Development Department for the purchase of industry-grade RO in case the investigation reveals that drinking water was the cause of the illnesses and deaths. The results of these sample tests have not been received so far.
All the children are being screened and health profiles are being reviewed, he said.
Chief medical superintendent of Lok Bandhu Hospital Dr Rajeev Dixit said: “Besides the 16 children who are admitted here, the other children of the shelter are being brought in groups for tests such as CT scans, ultrasounds, which cannot be done where they stay.”
The children are being screened for tuberculosis, diabetes, epilepsy and other health issues, their blood samples have been collected as well.
“So far, at our OPD, we have conducted 31 CT scans for children prone to seizures and an ultrasound for a child complaining of abdominal pain, outside of the admitted children from the Nirvan shelter here,” Dr Dixit said.
