Bhubaneswar, April 13: The state government's claim that contaminated tube well was the root cause for jaundice in Jharana slum has fallen flat.

The state public health laboratory here has found faecal contamination in drinking water supplied by the Public Health Engineering Organisation (Pheo). It has affected nearly 60 slum dwellers in a short span of a week.

Director of public health Kailash Dash told The Telegraph that lab report had revealed Hepatitis E to be the virus that caused jaundice. "We had collected water samples from four sources - tube wells, dug wells, tanks and pipe water. The report was received by us on Tuesday," said Dash.

"The report says that all the four sources of drinking water are highly contaminated with faecal content and the water is not at all suitable for drinking. We have asked the administration to take alternative measures to provide safe drinking water to the residents until the contamination is checked," said Dash.

The findings of the laboratory have struck terror among people and it has also raised questions about whether the government has learnt anything from its past mistakes as a similar situation had earlier happened at Jobra in Cuttack where jaundice is still stalking the people. The disease in Cuttack has so far affected nearly 60 people.

The irony is that the state government could have controlled the situation much earlier when the slum dwellers went to the additional district medical officer of Khurda with complaints of the disease's outbreak in their slum.

"We went to the medical officer to inform him about the occurrence of the disease in our locality, shortly after a few people fell ill. The authorities did not take any steps. Had they taken corrective measures, it would not have gone out of hand," said a slum resident Pramod Jena.

The additional district medical officer Deben Deo, however, stood by his claim that tube well contamination had caused the disease. He asserted there was nothing wrong with pipe water supply.

On the contrary, the slum dwellers said they did not use dug well or tube well water for drinking purposes. "We only use pipe water," said Jena.

Bhubaneswar mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said that they had made alternative arrangements to provide drinking water to the slum. "All our officials are working hard to tackle the situation. Alternative drinking water facility has been arranged for the residents and we hope the situation will come under control," said the mayor.