Kendrapada: : The death toll from gastroenteritis touched two in Jajpur district on Sunday, with the death of another patient in Barakana village under Raichanda gram panchayat of Dharmasala block. The deceased has been identified as Bipin Sahoo (34).He died in the community health center at Dharamsala on Sunday morning. Last summer, 14 people in the district died of gastroenteritis. “Preliminary investigation suggests Bipin Sahoo died of gastroenteritis. However, we will know the exact cause of his death from the autopsy report. Earlier, on Wednesday night, Badal Mallick (43) of Bausadola village died of gastroenteritis. Around 12 people are undergoing treatment for the same at the community health center in Dharamsala,” said chief district medical officer (CDMO), Jajpur, Bijay Kumar Mishra.“Most water tanks in the gastroenteritis-affected areas were not cleaned for a long time, forcing locals to drink polluted water. Unclean water tanks act as major breeding grounds for pathogens that cause gastroenteritis, a condition characterized by diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. When water storage tanks are not properly maintained, they harbor harmful microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which when consumed, lead to widespread infection. As per our advice, officials of rural water supply and sanitation department rushed to the gastro-affected villages on Sunday and cleaned many water tanks. Water tanks should be professionally cleaned every six months to ensure safety,” added the CDMO.Medical team members along with Asha workers are going door-to-door to distribute ORS packets and zinc tablets to the villagers. Gastroenteritis can be controlled by providing safe drinking water, improving sanitation and hygiene and proper nutrition, added the CDMO.“Preventive medicines were given to people and advised to consume water after boiling properly. We stocked sufficient medicines in the hospitals to treat the patients. The problem is mainly arising due to contaminated water. We have advised people to take caution while consuming outside food and water,” said the CDMO.“Large number of people of this village are exposed to these dangers as there is hardly any supply of drinking water. The rampant water-borne disease is spreading as gastroenteritis has become a recurring problem in this village in summer,” said Rabindra Behera, a villager of Barakana.Unprecedented scarcity of drinking water compounded the problem forcing villagers to drink polluted water from ponds and other water sources. As for preventive measures, distribution of bleaching powder for water disinfection remains erratic,” alleged Ramesh Rout, a villager of Bausadola.“The number of gastroenteritis patients would be more if the authority does not provide proper medicines and treatments to the affected villages,” said a villager.