Noida: Snakebite cases have risen across Gautam Budh Nagar this year, with the district recording 115 cases between Jan and July, including 57 venomous bites, health department data shows. More than 47% of the total cases are from July, when 55 people were bitten by snakes, including 30 venomous ones, making it the highest monthly tally so far. In 2025, the district has recorded 143 cases till Aug.The data shows a steady increase in incidents with the onset of summer and the pre-monsoon season. While only one snakebite case was reported in Jan, the numbers climbed consistently over the following months before peaking in July. Despite the surge, officials said no deaths have been reported. They said the increase in cases is due to the monsoon, when waterlogging forces snakes out of their burrows increasing the likelihood of human-snake encounters.“There are 12 health facilities in the district that are continuously monitoring snakebite cases. These centres have been provided with adequate stocks of anti-snake venom so that treatment can begin immediately whenever required,” district surveillance officer Dr Alka Gupta said.Neighbouring Ghaziabad has also witnessed an early rise in such cases. Till July, the district recorded 34 snakebite cases compared to 23 during the corresponding period in 2025. Cases were reported every month this year, rising from three in Jan and two in Feb to four in March, two in April, six in May, five in June and peaking at 12 in July.Although no snakebite fatalities have been officially recorded this year, at least two suspected deaths have been reported. In one recent incident in Raj Nagar Extension, a 55-year-old gardener who worked at a local farm died after he and his wife were allegedly bitten by a snake while sleeping. In another incident, a kanwariya was bitten by a snake. He was taken to Sanjay Nagar Hospital and later referred to GTB Hospital in Delhi, where he died.Health officials have warned that the coming weeks could see a further increase in cases as the monsoon progresses. In 2025, Ghaziabad recorded 87 snakebite cases with more than 63% reported between Aug and Oct.A TOI report published in 2024 said there were at least five deaths recorded due to snakebite in 2024. It added that there were no snakebite-related fatalities for four years, between 2018 and 2022, according to the district health department data. However, in 2023, the state govt released Rs 4 lakh in compensation for the kin of three people who died due to snakebites. According to health department data, of the 300 vials of anti-snake venom received by it in financial year 2023-24, 115 have been administered. While multiple shots can be administered to a victim, depending on the severity of the venom, it is indicative of a rise in snakebite cases.“Residents have been advised to clean bushes outside their houses. We have asked them to clean garbage and wood piles, use a torch while walking outdoors at night, wear full clothing and long shoes while working in fields or grassy areas, avoid sleeping on the ground and reduce the presence of rats around houses, as rodents attract snakes,” district surveillance officer Dr RK Gupta said. Officials also urged residents to seek immediate medical treatment instead of relying on traditional remedies in case of a snakebite.
