Patiala, July 12 -- The diarrhoea outbreak in Alipur Ariyan area of Patiala has claimed four lives, with 137 others falling ill, allegedly due to illegal water connections, the use of hydraulic ram water pumps and inadequate chlorination in the local water supply system, according to officials. Officials investigating the cause of the outbreak revealed that nearly every second household in the affected area was using open-ended plastic pipes connected to illegal water supplies. These illegal connections were leaking into the main water line, leading to contamination of drinking water. Patiala MC commissioner Paramvir Singh said these illegal water connections were not clamped, increasing the likelihood of leakage and contamination. "People use 'tullu' pumps in the absence of a regular water supply. These pumps suck dirty water from nearby sewage lines, especially in narrow lanes where sewage and water pipelines are often placed too close to each other," said junior engineer Pavitar Singh. He said 90-95% of the water connections in the area were illegal....