SARLAHI: Three settlements at Ghurkauli of Hariwan municipality-5 in Sarlahi district have witnessed the deaths of 26 people due to cancer in the past two and half years.
In recent years, cancer has been a leading cause of death at Dhanapati, Siddhartha, and Gole villages in the municipality.
Eight people are currently under medication for cancer. The cause of the disease might have been associated with arsenic from the underground drinking water, according to ward chair Nagendra Sah.
Dr Sabin Adhikari of BP Koirala Cancer Hospital, Chitwan said that most of the victims including the dead from Hariwan municipality-5 were diagnosed with lung and throat cancer.
Dr Adhikari cited unsafe drinking water as the main cause of cancer in the municipality.
According to him, he had treated two to three patients from the municipality and later came to know that people were fighting with drinking water issues there.
With this, drinking water arsenic test has begun in the settlement under the Federal Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Project.
It was found that the underground drinking water contained a high level of arsenic.
A survey conducted by taking water samples collected from a shallow tube-well showed the presence of arsenic up to 0.063 milligrams.
More than 400 families are at risk of health hazards due to the compulsion of using arsenic-containing drinking water.
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