22 lakh people affected by fever in Kerala; 420 deaths: Govt

Agencies
August 10, 2017

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 10:  The Kerala government today said 420 people died and over 22 lakh persons were affected by various kinds of fever in the state since January.

Health Minister KK Shylaja informed the state Assembly that of the total deaths due to fever, 74 people died due to H1N1 and 24 persons to dengue.

Replying to a notice seeking adjournment motion by Congress-led UDF opposition over the issue, she said climate change and unprecedented variations in temperature level were among reasons that caused the fever to spread.

"As per government figures, over 22 lakh people have been affected by viral fever in the state during the period. As many as 420 people succumbed to fever across the state," she said.

But with effective steps taken, things are now under control, the minister said.

However, disputing the official figures on people affected by fever and deaths caused, Mr Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan from the Congress party, alleged that over 1000 people had died and a whopping 50 lakh people had sought treatment for fever in various hospitals, including private ones, in the state.

The situation in the state was so grave that it even warranted the declaration of "health emergency," UDF members said and walked out of the House when Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan declined leave for debate over the issue.

The Health minister said besides H1N1 and dengue, rat fever and cholera have also been reported in the state. A cholera death was reported in Pathanamthitta district and three cholera cases had been detected among migrant labourers in Kozhikode, she said.

However, no case of monkey fever, which used to be prevalent during the monsoon season in earlier years, was reported in Kerala this year, Ms Shylaja added.

Opposition leader Mr Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the government had failed to take up any pre-monsoon sanitation drive and that led to the spurt in fever cases in the state.

If necessary, the state should seek the assistance of medical experts from the Centre to tackle the situation, he said.

"Health Emergency should be declared in the state as the situation is grave," Mr Chennithala said.

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News Network
March 18,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 18: The rising temperature has become a growing concern for residents of coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, as the issue of drinking water shortage continues to worsen in several parts. 

Though the water supply of Mangaluru city has not been affected much, nearby urban local bodies, including Ullal, Kotekar, Bajpe and other parts on the outskirts of Mangaluru have been facing an acute shortage of drinking water.

Though the water level in the Thumbe vented dam across Nethravati River has started going down in the last few days, officials have ruled out possibility of rationing the water supply in the city.

According to officials, the water level at Thumbe dam of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) stood at 5.8 m as against the maximum storage capacity of 6m height on March 16. The water level at the dam during the same period last year was 5.3 metres. The water level reduced from 5.9 m on March 15 to 5.8 m on March 16 due to the scorching heat, causing evaporation.

The MCC has been drawing 160 MLD of water from the Thumbe vented dam. According to officials, without inflow, the maximum water stored in the dam will be sufficient for only 50 days. Meanwhile, the MCC has already started pumping backwater from downstream of the Thumbe vented dam back to the dam using pumpsets. Water from Thumbe dam can be drawn only if it has more than 1.5m of water in it.

DC Mullai Muhilan MP said that the district administration is closely monitoring water levels in all the dams that supply water.

The AMR dam located upstream of Thumbe dam has 18 m of water from sea level. If the water level in the Thumbe vented dam recedes, then water from the AMR dam will be released into the Thumbe dam. There is water in a dam at Biliyoor, which is located upstream of the AMR dam, the DC said.

“Drawing water for irrigation purposes from Thumbe and AMR dams has been banned,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that an order in this regard has already been issued. Some of the pockets in rural areas too have started facing water crisis.

“We have made arrangements to supply water through tankers in Ullal, Kotekar and Bajpe areas. We will not introduce water supply rationing in MCC limits for the time being,” he said and appealed to citizens to use water judiciously.

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News Network
March 26,2024

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has detained two suspects in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Bengaluru, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

The preliminary probe has revealed that the two suspects were in direct contact with the suspected bomber.

The NIA sleuths have picked up the suspects from an area in the state capital. However, a statement is yet to be made by the NIA in this regard.

Even as the investigating agencies, both NIA and state special wing CCB teams have launched an extensive search operation in various states, the bomber has remained elusive. The authorities had obtained the bomber’s images and videos from CCTV footage on March 1, soon after the incident.

Sources said that the sleuths were suspecting that the bomber had come from Tamil Nadu and was staying in a neighbouring state for two months before carrying out the blast.

The hair samples of the accused were gathered from the hat of the accused which he abandoned in Bengaluru near a religious place. The authorities have sent the samples for the DNA testing and were hoping for a breakthrough.

The Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast took place on March 1 on the International Technology Park Limited (ITPL) road in the Brookfield area. Low intensity Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to carry out the blast and nine persons were injured in the incident.

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News Network
March 28,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 28: A fish meal factory in the Baikampady Industrial area in Mangaluru was gutted in a fire incident on Thursday, officials said.

The factory is owned by the company 'Shihar Enterprises', they said.

According to the locals, the fire was first noticed at 4.45 am today, which was immediately reported to the fire department.

The fire engines reached the spot and tried to douse the fire, but it had already spread to other parts of the factory. After almost four hours of fire-fighting operation, the blaze was completely doused, officials.

The reason for the blaze is still being probed, the fire department officials said, adding that they suspect an electric short circuit could have triggered it.

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