PERAMBALUR: Patients at the Perambalur GH are forced to buy water as bore wells in the hospital have run dry. At least 2,000 patients visit the super-speciality hospital every day. The situation is so worse that a few in-patients have been forced to relieve themselves in the open.
The hospital draws water from three borewells and an open well in the vicinity, but all of them have gone dry forcing the administration to buy water to meet critical requirements. But patients are in the lurch. “My son is in the hospital for the last three days. From the time we came here, there is an acute water shortage and many patients are defecating in the open. I am currently fetching water from outside, so my son need not walk out of the ward,” said A Saraswathi.
A few people said they were forced to buy water from nearby shops. “For the past four days, I have spent at least `90 to buy drinking water. My relatives purchased a pot to fetch water from a bakery nearby. I am spending `70 for my drinking water and Rs 20 for water for toilet,” said, K Manjunatha, a patient.
Such is the situation that a few patients and their relatives are worried whether the water they purchase is safe. “There is an outlet nearby which charges Rs 3 for a litre of water. We are purchasing at least 20 litres of water daily. Though we are providing the same to our sick relatives, we are scared whether the water is safe and hope it does not cause any further infections,” said D Meiyappan, a relative of a patient,
Perambalur Health JD (in-charge), K Elavarasan, said, “We are currently having a problem as the borewells have gone dry on the campus. The issue has been taken up with senior officials and action will be soon.”
No water to drink too
The hospital draws water from three borewells and an open well, but all of them have gone dry forcing the administration to buy water to meet critical requirements. A few people said they were forced to buy water. They are worried whether the water they purchase is safe.