The HIV virus cannot survive in water
Residents of a village in northern India drained a lake as a female HIV carrier drowned there.
It was the only source that provided drinking water to the village.
The HIV virus cannot survive in water. Efforts by local authorities to persuade residents fell on deaf ears.
The details of the woman have not been made public, however, the media in India report that she was 36 years old, had contracted the virus and committed suicide.
Her body was found decomposing, which strengthened the fears of the residents.
"We would consume water if the body belonged to a normal person but the woman died of HIV. There is no other way. "The authorities have to drain the lake and fill it with fresh water to save the inhabitants," one man told the Times of India.
Nagaraj Bidralli, a local official, said he tried to convince locals that the water was safe but to no avail. "The villagers themselves took the initiative with pipes and other necessary equipment to drain the lake," he told the New India Express.
Now, residents of the village of Morab near the town of Dharwad have to walk several kilometers to find drinking water.
Although HIV cases are gradually declining in India, according to the National Aids Control Organization, discrimination against carriers remains.
Just over 2 million people live in India according to the United Nations, many of them struggling with stigma.
Recently, a court in West India forced a company to re-hire an employee who was fired when it became known that he was a carrier of the virus.