Characterising a deadly surge of waterborne infections across Jyolikot and neighbouring villages as an epidemic, the Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday issued wide-ranging directions to local authorities to immediately guarantee safe drinking water and reinforce healthcare services.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation regarding the crisis, a division bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Siddharth Sah instructed Nainital District Magistrate Lalit Mohan Rayal to personally supervise all ongoing relief operations. Expressing serious concern over the health hazards, the court mandated that drinking water samples be evaluated by private laboratories rather than depending exclusively on the state departments’ internal testing.
Strict Directives On Water Quality And Infrastructure
The bench instructed the Jal Sansthan and Peyjal Nigam to implement immediate measures preventing drinking water pipelines from crossing or mixing with sewage lines. Broadening the scope of preventative oversight, the judges also ordered an inspection of sewage leaks and water standards within Nainital city itself, directing officials to gather and test water samples from 20 to 25 separate locations.
Furthermore, the high court instructed the departmental secretary to reach an expedited decision on a proposal to establish a permanent water testing laboratory serving the Kumaon region.
Health Crisis And Casualties In Rural Settlements
The judicial directives follow legal proceedings initiated by advocate Ravi Bisht, who placed more than ten medical reports before the bench demonstrating the extent of the contamination. The outbreak has generated widespread jaundice cases across Jyolikot, Beluvakhan, Gethia, Sariyatal, Durgapur, Ganja, Veerbhatti, Chheena, and surrounding rural pockets. Anxiety among local residents heightened significantly after the recent deaths of a 26-year-old woman and a 16-year-old student from the infection.
Medical Deployment And Administrative Response
Appearing before the court, Chief Medical Officer Dr Rashmi Pant confirmed that contaminated drinking water caused the outbreak. Addressing treatment standards, the bench stated that administrative authorities must bring in external specialist physicians if adequate expertise is unavailable locally.
Dr Pant apprised the judges that affected individuals are eligible for medical care under the Ayushman scheme. She further reported that eight medical doctors and an emergency ambulance have been stationed across the affected belt, while deployed health teams have reached seven villages to carry out door-to-door distribution of oral rehydration salts and chlorine tablets.
The bench heard submissions from District Magistrate Rayal, Dr Pant, Jal Sansthan Superintending Engineer Vishal Kumar, Peyjal Nigam Superintending Engineer Anish Kumar, and Chief Engineer Alok. The high court listed the matter for its next hearing on September 15.
