IOC depot fire abating, health of residents affected (Lead)

Jaipur, Nov 4

A massive fire at the Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) depot in Sitapura near here abated somewhat Wednesday, six days after it broke out, but many residents from nearby areas are complaining of respiratory, eye and skin problems.

Black smoke can be seen over a stretch of two to three kilometres in Sitapur, 20 km from the Rajasthan capital. Only two oil tanks - of the 11 that caught fire Oct 29 resulting in 11 deaths and injuries to over 150 - are still ablaze.

"My eyes are itching. I am having breathing problems too," Rajesh Bhardwaj, a resident living two kilometres away from the oil depot, told IANS Wednesday.

Doctors at the government-run SMS Hospital here, while refusing to be named, say there is always a danger of the smoke affecting the health of people living near the site.

"The cases coming to us from these colonies mainly relate to problems in the eye, skin and respiration," a doctor said.

They are advising pregnant women to stay far away from the polluted area. "It is better if these women stay away from the polluted area as it can affect the child in the womb," a doctor said.

In the nearby villages of Sitarampuria and Sukhpuria, cases of fever and vomiting are being reported among children.

"My child is vomiting for the last three days

Last updated on Nov 4^th, 2009 at 16:19 pm IST--IANS

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