Bhubaneswar, Jan. 5: Incidence of jaundice outbreak in Sambalpur has spurred the Khurda district administration, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the public health engineering organisation (PHEO) to take preventive measures here.

While the city health office of the BMC is checking the quality of food and water at roadside eateries, the PHEO has intensified checking supply water lines in the city to rule out possible leakages and carry out repairs where needed. The Khurda district collector had held a review meeting with officials of different departments yesterday to discuss precautionary measures.

In Sambalpur city, drinking water contamination has resulted in nearly 1,600 people being infected with jaundice over the past one month. Seventeen people have died of jaundice during this period.

The corporation has been conducting quality checks on food such as dahivada, gupchup and other snacks being sold at roadside shops. Other roadside eateries, including makeshift hotels and fast food joints, are also on the radar of health officials. The quality of water being served at these shops is also being examined.

'Though we have one quality checking squad and only one food inspector, we have been conducting tests regularly. However, we have not been able to focus beyond the central part of the city because of manpower shortage,' said city health officer Chandrika Prasad Das.

He said the team focused mostly on Saheed Nagar, Satya Nagar, Ashok Nagar and Jayadev Vihar, where there is a concentration of dahivada, gupchup and chat shops.

A PHEO official said that they have been checking the pipes used for water supply to houses for any damage or leakage because there are chances of water supply lines getting contaminated. Besides, whenever the officials receive any complaints regarding leakage in the pipelines, they take immediate corrective steps.

'We had been attending to such complaints regularly, the response now being quicker than before. Officials have been instructed to take the issue seriously. Besides, our staff also conduct surveys at different places and carry out repairs,' said a senior officer of the PHEO Bhubaneswar division.

Khurda collector Niranjan Sahu reviewed the scenario and discussed it with health, PHEO, rural water supply and sanitation officials apart from experts from the World Health Organisation. He instructed the officials to take steps to prevent the outbreak of jaundice.

'Not only will there be restrictions on roadside shops selling food items, but an extensive awareness drive will also be carried out. Besides, cleanliness drives will be conducted,' said Sahu.