47 villages quarantined; culling begins

Jalgaon, Apr 9: Operation to cull about 3.10 lakh birds following the third outbreak of bird flu in this district of northern Maharahstra began here after authorities quarantined 47 of the total 354 villages where layers are to be slaughtered to prevent spread of the deadly H5N1 virus.

District Collector Vijay Singhal, after holding a review meeting of officials of the animal husbandry and health departments here last evening, said 90 teams of animal husbandry department have fanned out across the affected area to accomplish the task in next five days.

He said bus services to and from the 47 villages have been suspended untill further order.

He further said 19 weekly bazars, where people buy and sell poultry and eggs to suppliment their income, too, have been ordered closed as a precaution.

Asked if the railways have suspended train halts at Pachora and Chalisgaon railway stations on Mumbai-Busawal section as requested by the State government, Mr Singhal said Divisional Railway Manager is awaiting instructions from his superiors.

He said digging of trenches to bury the culled birds was completed yesterday.

The Collector said culling would be first carried out in 47 villages located in 3 km radius of the 14 villages where the third outbreak of avian flu was confirmed Thursday. Subsequently, the operation would be extended to another 307 villages located in 3 to 10 km range of the flu-hit 14 villages, he added.

Of the estimated 3.10 lakh birds to be culled in total 354 villages, 1.20 lakh layers are housed in commercial poultry farms, while the remaining 1.90 lakh birds are scattered in the backyards of rural houses.

A day before the third outbreak, the animal husbandary department had slaughtered 2.40 lakh chickens during a week following the second outbreak of the bird flu in 288 villages of the district on March 28. After the first outbreak on March 14, as many as 95,000 birds were killed in 174 villages.

The 14 flu-hit villages from where the samples tested positive for the deadly virus are Nandra, Pachora, Wadli, Muktainagar, Salebardi, Khamkheda, Chalisgaon, Sakri, Nandgaon, Mehunbare, Mehndi, Pimpri, Vidwa and Bodade, Mr Singhal said, adding these villages are scattered across 9 of the total 15 tehsils of Jalgaon district.

After the country's first outbreak of the avian flu occured on February 18 at Navapur in Nandurbar district, also in northern Maharashtra, authorities had to kill more than three lakh birds to contain spread of the disease.

UNI