A seven-year-old Koya tribal girl, Madivi Jamuna, died reportedly hours after she was administered a chloroquine tablet, while 52 villagers, mostly children were admitted to hospitals at Gollaguppa village of Yetapaka mandal in Polavaram district on Tuesday.

Integrated Tribal Development Agency (Chintoor) Project Officer Subham Nokwal told The Hindu; “One girl, identified as Madivi Jamuna, died. Officials are monitoring of the situation, ”

According to an official release issued by the Public Relations Department, personnel from the Lakshmipuram Primary Health Centre administered chloroquine tablets to 71 people in the Gollaguppa village on Tuesday as a prevent measure following reports of malaria cases in the village. At least five malaria cases had been reported from the village by Tuesday. 

The release said: “As many as 28 villagers, mostly children, have been shifted to the Bhadrachalam government hospital, where their health condition is out of danger. All of them had been administered chloroquine tablets.” Another 24 villagers have been admitted to Lakshmipuram PHC in Yetapaka mandal. 

Polavaram District Collector K. Dinesh Kumar told The Hindu; “Officials are monitoring the treatment and condition of those admitted to hospitals. The health condition of all the villages undergoing treatments is stable and they are out of danger.”

On September 7, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the long-pending Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal issue between Punjab and Haryana, saying, “It’s the duty of the Centre to ensure water for Punjab and Haryana, not to make them fight”.

In a press conference at Haryana’s Hisar, he accused BJP of dual-speak, adding, “What’s the stand of the Congress and the BJP in Punjab and Haryana? In Punjab, they say we will not let the SYL canal be constructed. In Haryana, they say we will take SYL waters at any cost. These people do dirty politics”.