Extreme city water crises, students sent home

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, May 3, 2016: As a part of the extreme steps in facing water scarcity staring in the face of Mangaluru city, authorities of at least two medical colleges in the city - Kasturba Medical College and Father Muller Medical College and Hospital on May 2, Monday took steps to send at least 50% of their students back home. The deans of the respective colleges said has been done to ensure that the available water is optimally used and provided to students who need to stay back for academic reasons.

Dr M Venkataraya Prabhu, Dean, KMC told media that students of second and third year MBBS batches who do not have university examinations scheduled for now are being sent home.  They will be asked to return around May 15 by which time the water situation should improve, he said adding around 400 students (each batch has 250 students are around 50 are day scholars) have started moving out from their hostels.

To ensure that the hospitals function normally, the interns and the post-graduate students will be on hand. Likewise, students of first and final year MBBS who have university examinations too are staying back on the campus, he said adding KMC has eight hostels and students from two hostels are being asked to go back. The decision has been taken to ensure that students do not suffer and are able to focus on their academics properly, he said.

Dr Jayaprakash Alva, dean, Fr Muller Medical College and Hospital said the college has asked around 500 students to return to their homes in wake of the water crisis. "Water from tankers may be a solution but, the water quality and chances of infections are high and  can rapidly become an epidemic in hostel setting," he said. If one takes students of allied health science courses, the numbers asked to return could be more, Dr Alva said adding college plans to make up for time lost later.