A diarrhoea outbreak at two wards of Shantinagar Rural Municipality in Dang district has affected at least 1,221 people until Sunday.

Shantinagar Heath Post Chief, Hari Pun informed that 419 cases of diarrhoea patients were reported in ward no 3 and 4 of Shantinagar Rural Municipality in the district, adding the number of patients have been increasing day-by-day.

Locals from Patetakura, Ganari, Gahatol, Adhere, Bhaltol, Khatritol and Chiraghat of ward number-3 and Ekali, Kajeri and Hirapur villages of ward number-4 are the most affected.

Meanwhile, health workers have attributed polluted water as the cause of the outbreak.

Lab technician of District Public Health Office Parashuram Pokharel said drinking contaminated water might have caused the outbreak of the disease. “Initial investigation showed that people fell sick because they drank water from polluted water source,” said Pokharel, “The disease has affected mostly children and women.”

Chairman of the rural municipality Kaman Singh Dangi said that the contamination in the source of Mailipani Drinking Water Project was the reason behind the diarrhoea epidemic in ward number 3 and 4. “851 family members in the wards are using water from the same source as there are no other alternatives of drinking water in the settlements,” said Dangi.

District Public Health Officer Ghana Shyam Pokharel said four health camps have been setup to treat the sick patients.

A team of District Drinking Water and Sanitation Division Office inspected the water source. Acting chief of the division office Tilak Neupane said they have informed villagers not to use water from that source as all of the water supply pipelines are contaminated.

“We have started to supply water from tankers in the affected areas,” said Neupane.

Meanwhile, Nepal Army soldiers from Ripumardan Battalion reached to the water source and cleaned it on Sunday.