8/4/2020 Coronavirus in sewage can prove deadly for Bengaluru: Environment activists | Deccan Herald

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Home / City / Top Bengaluru Stories / 'Coronavirus in sewage can prove deadly for Bengaluru'

Coronavirus in sewage can prove deadly for Bengaluru:

Environment activists
The Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) has written to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa seeking his urgent intervention to set
up a real-time surveillance of sewage and monitoring mechanism

Chiranjeevi Kulkarni, DHNS, Bengaluru, APR 27 2020, 15:44 IST | UPDATED: APR 27 2020, 15:46 IST

Representative image (DH Photo)

Lack of measures to ensure that coronavirus is not going to spread through waste water may cost the
state, and the country, dearly in the coming days, a citizen-led group has warned, citing international
studies that showed the presence of the virus in raw sewage as well as treated wastewater.
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The Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) has written to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa seeking his
urgent intervention to set up a real-time surveillance of sewage and monitoring mechanism to
understand the risks that Bengaluru is facing.

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The report ‘Blindside’, sent to the chief minister, notes that the presence of coronavirus in faeces and
urine was first confirmed by the United States in January, the study cited four other studies that
detected the virus in the sewage, including the research from France which found the virus in treated
water.

“Given the poor state of our sewage infrastructure, there is an amplified risk of the pandemic virus
spreading to people and animals,” the study by Nirmala Gowda, Dr Nidhi Paliwal, Rajani Santhosh and
Sandhya Balasubramanian has warned.

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While acknowledging the lack of evidence on infectiousness of the virus in waste water, the study,
however, notes that the gap in knowledge should not be considered as evidence of non-
infectiousness. 

“What we don’t know is enormous,” it says, but points to the “grossly mismanaged urban sewage”  is
at the crux of the problem as broken sewage treatment plants (STPs) and mismanagement have been
found regularly.  

The virus can come back to our taps, it said, citing the example of the broken STP (180 mld) at
Vrishabhavathy valley and the running of sewage into Arkavathy river, which in turn joins Cauvery at
Sangama.

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It said 500 mld of raw sewage flowing into Bellandur Lake has been diverted to the downstream water
bodies. “This is not only polluting the downstream lake but also irreversibly damaging Dakshina
Pinakini river,” it added.

Former Environment Secretary A N Yellappa Reddy, chairman of the BET, said the risk to wildlife
cannot be ruled out and urged the forest department to monitor waterfowl to gather more
information.

The study said e ective sewage surveillance can also help the government to indicate the scale of
infection in hotspots. It suggested strengthening of STPs, drinking water treatment plants and
formation of a pandemic control and prevention committee.

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Coronavirus COVID-19 Bengaluru Karnataka B S Yediyurappa

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27 Bengaluru cops test positive for Covid-19 in ten days

PTI, JUL 07 2020, 23:34 IST | UPDATED: JUL 07 2020, 23:34 IST

Twenty-seven police personnel, including at least 13 of a station, have tested positive for coronavirus
in a city division in the last ten days and five of them discharged a er treatment, a senior o icer said
on Tuesday.

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All these cases were reported from Whitefield Police Division and 15 of them, including 12 from the
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) police station, tested positive on Monday, Deputy Commissioner
of Police (Whitefield) M N Anucheth said.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

He termed as 'incorrect' media reports that the personnel of the HAL station contracted the virus from
an accused whom they had arrested. "In the Whitefield division, yesterday (Monday) we have had 15
COVID positive cases amongst police sta .

12 police sta are from HAL police station. Total 27 sta of Whitefield Division have tested positive so
far. 5 have been discharged," the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield) M N Anucheth said in a
statement.

The first case of coronavirus among policemen in the division was detected on June 27 when a
personnel from the HAL station tested positive and the premises was sealed, he said. Later, all the
personnel there were examined and 12 of them tested positive on Monday, the o icer added.

Referring to reports that the police personnel contracted the disease a er arresting a person who was
COVID infected, he said: "No accused have been arrested a er that and no arrestee has transmitted it
to the police. Such news reports are incorrect." Anucheth said the last arrest was made on June 15
and all the arrested persons had tested negative. At least four police personnel have died in the city
due to COVID-19 so far. 

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Home / City / Top Bengaluru Stories / The asymptomatic Covid-19 deaths which weren't

The asymptomatic Covid-19 deaths which weren't

Akhil Kadidal, DHNS, Bengaluru, JUL 07 2020, 00:21 IST | UPDATED: JUL 07 2020, 01:22 IST

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Over two dozen Covid-19 casualties, which had been declared asymptomatic by authorities, have now
tested positive, in a strange U-turn which o icials blamed on a statistical error.  

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Clarifying the matter, a government o icial said the patients had died due to late-stage e ects of
Covid-19 and had symptoms.

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According
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the government’s daily Covid-19 bulletin, the first such “asymptomatic” fatality
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on June 22. Since then, a total of 24 such cases have been disclosed.

The first case involved a 90-year-old man in Ramanagar, who died at his residence on June 20. A
posthumous test revealed that he was positive.

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Health o icials now clarified that no records were available at that time about whether the patient
had symptoms or not. In subsequent days, the scale of asymptomatic fatalities appeared to increase,
culminating on July 4 when nine cases were included in the bulletin, followed by six more on July 5. 

Dr Thrilok Chandra, head of the Critical Care Support Unit (CCSU), said that improperly transmitted
data from hospitals to statistical o icers, who released the bulletin, was to blame.

Eleven of the deaths originated from Bengaluru-based hospitals. Some of these cases are especially
suspect. One person, who died in a road accident in Bidar and posthumously tested positive, was
categorised as “asymptomatic.” Thirteen of the cases also had no reported co-morbidities at all.

When asked if these asymptomatic fatalities were the result of a potentially exotic mutation of the
virus, Dr Chandra replied: “Not at all.”

Barring one case, the rest perished within 72 hours of being identified as Covid-19-positive. Dr
Chandra added that he had asked sta to “reverify” patients’ data.
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“All of these DH
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Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Infection,” he said. 

SARI is a late-stage symptom of the disease and potentially fatal. Forty-three percent of all Covid-19
fatalities so far reportedly had SARI. 

Several government experts appeared to be confounded by the news that asymptomatic Covid-19

patients had died. Dr S Sacchidanand, who heads the State Death Audit Committee, said he had never
heard of an “asymptomatic” death. Another senior government researcher said such a death was
scientifically improbable.

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As Bengaluru catches Covid-19 fever, business hubs feel the

chill

Umesh R Yadav, DHNS, Bengaluru, JUL 07 2020, 00:21 IST | UPDATED: JUL 07 2020, 01:18 IST

Bengaluru’s business hubs are falling one by one to the rampant coronavirus. 

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revenueDH generating wards in the tech hub — which accounted for 981 of the total 1,843 new
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in the state on Monday — are seeing a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases, which could derail business
activities in the coming days in these areas. 

Consider this: the highest number of cases for the past 10 days have been in Shanthala Nagar (MG
Road, Brigade Road, Ashok Nagar), Chickpet (wholesale business), Basavanapura (IT hub),
Malleswaram (markets), Gandhi Nagar (shopping, markets, eateries etc), Dharmaraya Swamy Temple
ward (electronic goods) and Jayanagar ward (commercial hub). 

According to the BBMP, these wards are the highest revenue earners for the civic body.

On Sunday, the highest number of cases were reported in Shantala Nagar ward (no 111), which saw 59
fresh infections. 

M B Dwarakanath, corporator of Shantala Nagar, said the ward is seeing a sudden spike a er not
seeing any infections for several days. “Our ward is the highest revenue generator and entertainment
hub in the city. There are three stadiums and a huge shopping hub but if cases continue to rise like
this, it would be di icult for business,” he said.

The bustling Chickpete area witnesses a turnover of several crores every day. Gold and silver jewellery
shops do business worth nearly Rs 1,000 on any given day. Some silk and saree shops see sales up
to Rs 35-40 lakh per day.

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On Sunday,
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DH virus-hit ward reported 23 new cases, with the total number of cases rising to
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Leela Shivakumar, corporator of Chickpete, said that the ward generated nearly Rs 100 cr revenue to
the BBMP, but has been locked down at present a er many merchants’ association expressed alarm at
the spike in cases.

But merchants staying in other areas and having shops in Chickpete are now demanding permission
to open their outlets, which is being opposed by businessmen staying inside Chickpete, she said.

She said that several cases have been reported in Chickpet despite the lockdown.

Another ward which has been badly hit is Jayanagar, whose corporator, Gangambike Mallikarjun, said
the ward generated a revenue of Rs 8.75 crore to the BBMP.

“There were zero cases for a long time but suddenly there is a spike in cases,” she said. “On Sunday
alone, there were 16 cases. People are fearless about the virus and roaming without masks and not
maintaining social distance.”

The corporator said she is in favour of another lockdown for the entire city to stop the spread of the
virus.

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Home / City / Top Bengaluru Stories / Residents exit Bengaluru as Covid-19 cases rise: Report

Residents leave Bengaluru as coronavirus cases rise: Report

DH Web Desk, JUL 05 2020, 23:15 IST | UPDATED: JUL 05 2020, 23:15 IST

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As Covid-19
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DH surge in Bengaluru, thousands of residents, fearing another lockdown, reportedly
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have been heading back to their hometowns and villages, creating a gridlock on the city’s exit roads,
according to a report by Times of India.

Exit roads like Tumakuru Road witnessed heavy tra ic. KSRTC o icials said that the completion of
SSCL has also promoted many residents to leave the city. 

Follow live updates on coronavirus

According to the report, some residents vacated their houses permanently and have moved back to
their hometowns. Rama Gowda, a cab driver told the publication, “Cases in Bengaluru are rapidly
rising and there are no hospitals to admit patients. I am worried about my life. Though I managed to
survive the lockdown, now it has become impossible. I will work in the fields for a living. I will never
come back to Bengaluru.” 

Leelavathi, a resident of Peenya, has packed up her belongings and is moving to Bellur Cross in
Mandya. “We have already lost our jobs and our family is not in a state to pay house rent. We decided
to go back to our hometown before there is another lockdown," she told the daily.

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