JOIN USScarcity of water forces hospital to postpone surgeries
Water problem that has been haunting the district for long has reached its peak and many surgeries are being postponed due to lack of water at Jayachamarajendra government hospital in the city.
Hundreds of patients from Hassan city and surrounding areas visit the 50-bedded hospital everyday. The hospital, which is totally dependent on the water supplied by the city municipal council, has been affected due to irregular water supply for the past few days. The problem has aggravated to such an extent that many surgeries scheduled to be held on Thursday had to be postponed.
District surgeon Dr Shankar confirmed that it was true that some surgeries had been postponed due to shortage in water supply.
Vishwanath, one of the patients, who had been advised to get his urine tested approached the hospital laboratory. But, he had to return without getting the tests done as there was no water in the toilet there.
As the doctors were rendered helpless and cancelled the surgeries, some patients who needed emergency operation were shifted to private hospitals by their relatives. Others have to wait to go on the table till the condition of water supply improves.
In-charge surgeon Dr Madhusudhan Somayaji disclosed that the problem was because the pipe that supplies water to the hospital from Hemavathy river was broken.
The delay in providing an alternate arrangement has created inconvenience to the public, he said. “Arrangements have been made so that emergency services are not hit,” he said.
“Five borewells have been drilled for the use of hospital, but now all the five have dried up. Water supply was sought from the borewell at the Government PU College. But since the water level was depleting and construction work was under progress at the hospital, the college stopped providing water. Steps have been taken to solve the problem temporarily,” Somayaji said.
Although a borewell was sunk at the Silver Jubilee Park nearby to supply water to the hospital, pipelines have not yet been laid. A tank has been constructed — spending lakhs of rupees — for the hospital, but there is no sufficient water to fill it. Water problem haunts not only the hospital, but the surrounding areas too, lament local residents.