Cuttack, Oct. 28: One person today died of diarrhoea in the city, official sources said. The deceased has been identified as Malati Jena, 70, of Khapuria.

Besides, 20 persons of Khannagar have been suffering from the water-borne disease caused due to water contamination following waterlogging owing to incessant rain. They are admitted at SCB hospital.

“Yesterday, diarrhoea cases were reported from a few areas here. The condition of the patients admitted at SCB is now stable,” said city health officer P.K. Pradhan.

Keeping in view the outbreak, the district administration today organised a training camp here for anganwadi workers and other voluntary groups, who were asked to carry out an awareness drive at all the 54 wards of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation.

The health workers have been provided with nearly 1,000 halogen tablets, 1kg of bleaching powder and 10 ORS packets. They have been asked to conduct a detail assessment of the ground situation at all the wards.

A district administration official said there had been reports of water contamination in the pipeline of the public health department at a few areas in the city. The drinking water supplied by the department covers over 90 per cent of the total population in Cuttack. The officials have started work to locate the source of contamination, while efforts have begun to disinfect open wells and tube wells.

Several areas had been submerged in rain and drain water for nearly three days following the rain earlier last week.

Besides the administration has also asked them to review the people’s health condition and ensure that cases of severe diarrhoea are urgently being attended and reported to the chief district medical officer at the earliest.