Villagers in south India have made a massive effort to drain a nearby lake due to a health scare, following reports of an HIV-positive woman drowning in it.

The village of Morab in Dharwad, Karnataka state, found the body of a 36-year-old woman, who is thought to have been infected with HIV, floating in the village lake on December 1.

The woman was reported missing on November 29, and is believed to have been floating in the lake for three days before her discovery, with her body having been partly eaten away by fish.

The lake provides the majority of drinking water to the village, and the body's discovery sparked a panic about the woman's alleged condition, causing the villagers to lower pipes and begin draining the lake out of fear of infection.

By December 4, more than half the water from the lake had been drained.

Government personnel and village elders tried to convince the villagers against it. Dr Spoorti Havaldar, a physician in the village, said that the water would be completely usable after a chlorination treatment, but was unable to dissuade the villagers from their drastic response.

Ravi Kagadal, a former member of the village council, said. “Due to the fear of infection, the villagers don’t want to use the water, and are releasing it,

“The villagers themselves took the initiative by providing pipes and other equipment required to pump out water from the lake,”

Last year it was reported that a boy from the same locality had drowned in the same lake, but no panic was made over use of the water at that time.

Villagers of Morab village in Dharwad, Karnataka India are currently on a draining task.They have lowered pipes to empty the Jagirdar’s Lake in the village, which is the only source of drinking water for its people. The villagers undertook the job after the body of a woman, who is thought to have been infected with HIV, was found floating in the lake.

Villagers noticed the body of the 36-year-old woman floating in the lake on November 29.The flesh had been partly eaten by fish, which made them fear infection and decide to empty the lake. In the last four days, more than half the water from the lake has been drained out.

Last year, a boy of same locality had drowned in the same lake but no hue and cry was made over use of the water at that time, Ravi Kagadal, former member, said. “Due to the fear of infection, the villagers don’t want to use the water, and are releasing it,” he said.

Government Personal & members tried to convince the villagers against it, but they did not pay any heed.“The villagers themselves took the initiative by providing pipes and other equipment required to pump out water from the lake,” he said.Dr Spoorti Havaldar, a physician in the village, said that the water can be used after chlorination treatment.