COTABATO CITY: Four contaminated water sources triggered dehydration and eventually led to the death of five persons, four of them minors, after an outbreak of diarrhea in a remote village in Maguindanao del Sur, officials said Wednesday.
Fuad Samola, municipal disaster risk reduction and management council officer of Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur, said the victims have been drinking water taken from four water pumps, locally known as ‘poso,’ in Barangay Tamar.
‘Of the fatalities, four were minors aged 2, 3, 5, and 15,’ he said, adding that the fifth fatality was a 40-year-old man.
Since Dec. 31, he said, the victims successively experienced severe stomach pain, dizziness, and nausea.
“We rushed them to various hospitals for treatment,’ Samola said, adding that about 10 patients currently remained under observation by doctors.
He said the municipal health office has cordoned off the four water pumps, all located in Sitio Sinindulan, Barangay Tamar.
About 100 families in the community have been benefiting
from the water pumps located near the Talayan River.
Authorities believe that the water sources were contaminated as the locals dispose of their garbage, wash clothes, kitchen utensils, and farm tools, and even discharge human waste into the river.
Dr. Mohammad Ariff Baguindali, head of the Maguindanao del Sur Integrated Provincial Health Office, confirmed in a radio interview Wednesday that the water sources were contaminated.
Samola said residents were also barred from taking water from other natural sources, as the local government distributed mineral water to affected families.
Source: Philippines News Agency