The residents at one quarantine centre in Perambra of Kozhikode district in Kerala have complained that the water supplied to them was unclean and that they found a partially decomposed eagle in one of the water tanks.
Nine residents, who had returned from the Maldives by ship on May 17, are staying at Lunar lodge, which is an institutional quarantine facility set up by the government of Kerala. The nine residents complained of uneasiness and nausea after using the tap water.
"In the past few days, there has been a foul smell coming from the tap water. This is the water we use to take baths, wash our mouths and for all other cleaning purposes, except for drinking. Two days ago, we saw feathers coming through the tap. The smell was unbearable," Sharath Lal, one of the residents told TNM.
He also added that mosquito larvae were found in the water tanks of the lodge.
"On Tuesday, we went to the terrace of the building and checked the tank. We were shocked to find the eagle. We are sure that the dead bird has been there for many days now, even before we came here," Sharath alleged.
Few among the residents had shown some uneasiness two days back. "One among us was on his Ramzan fasting. He had complained of some uneasiness last day and he told us that there will be something wrong with the water," he added.
After the residents informed the health department, on Thursday morning, staff from the department arrived and cleaned the tanks.
"We received a complaint on Wednesday at 10 pm. Next day morning the tank was cleaned. On Wednesday evening, a team from the health department visited the centre and made sure that all the residents are comfortable. We have cleaned the tank properly," Perambra Panchayat President Reena Kizhakkechalil told TNM.
However, the residents are not happy.
"They haven't cleaned it properly, using a bleaching substance. They just removed the dead bird and replaced the water. There is still a slight smell of the dead body of the bird," he alleges.
They are also angry that nobody is bothered that they had to use this dirty water for the past many days.
"We don't demand any great facilities but clean water is a basic necessity. Now, we are scared whether we’ll get some kind of infections from a dead bird," Sharath said.
The residents have not received their coronavirus test results yet and have to stay at the centre for another three days to complete the institutional quarantine period.