Cuttack: The public health engineering organisation (Pheo) has stepped up checking locations to replace and realign pipelines passing through drainage channels in ward Nos. 50 and 51.

Pheo, which supplies drinking water, has taken up the drive to prevent spread of jaundice in the city.

The outbreak of the water-borne disease, attributed to contamination of drinking water because of leakage in pipelines, had spread in various localities of Nuapada (parts of which fall in the two wards), where nine more cases had been reported since Sunday.

Pheo (Cuttack division) executive engineer Sushant Ghadei on Tuesday said special squads had been pressed to check all pipelines at Nuapada.

"While some squads have been engaged to disconnect and realign service connections passing through drainage channels, other squads are looking into repair of the distribution system where leakage had been detected," Ghadei said.

However, the source of jaundice remains elusive as increasing number of cases are being reported from Nuapada. "Bacteriological analysis of water samples collected from various localities of Nuapada had confirmed the presence of E coli germs in water supplied in some locations. We are trying to pinpoint the source of contamination," Ghadei said.

The Cuttack Municipal Corporation's health officer Manoranjan Samantaray on Tuesday said a health camp had been started at Nuapada to test blood samples.

"So far, 48 jaundice patients have been detected. While 15 jaundice patients had been detected at Nuapada in the past week, the rest 33 cases have been reported from Jobra," Samantaray said.