26th July 2016
Working as Fluoride fellows for Karnataka
under the Fluoride Knowledge and Action Network, I and my colleague Kiran Kumar
Sen undertook the journey to Chikaballapur district, one of severely affected
fluoride regions in the State. Chikaballapur being one of the fasting growing
regions around Bangalore faces severe water shortage and where bore wells are
dug more than 1000 feet deep. This contributes to the presence of Fluoride in
drinking water from these sources. Interestingly, our cab driver was curious
about the visit and had no clue that drinking water sources contains ions such
as Fluoride and has such effects on the body before this visit.
under the Fluoride Knowledge and Action Network, I and my colleague Kiran Kumar
Sen undertook the journey to Chikaballapur district, one of severely affected
fluoride regions in the State. Chikaballapur being one of the fasting growing
regions around Bangalore faces severe water shortage and where bore wells are
dug more than 1000 feet deep. This contributes to the presence of Fluoride in
drinking water from these sources. Interestingly, our cab driver was curious
about the visit and had no clue that drinking water sources contains ions such
as Fluoride and has such effects on the body before this visit.
Our first point of contact in Chikaballapur was Mr.
Nagesh who was associated with Karuna Trust for water testing project
undertaken in the entire district supported from Arghyam financially. The
project mainly involved water testing of all drinking water sources in the district
for six parameters as prescribed by NRDWP (National Rural Drinking Water
Programme) in the respective district labs and the trust mainly supplied the
man power for implementation of the testing.
Nagesh who was associated with Karuna Trust for water testing project
undertaken in the entire district supported from Arghyam financially. The
project mainly involved water testing of all drinking water sources in the district
for six parameters as prescribed by NRDWP (National Rural Drinking Water
Programme) in the respective district labs and the trust mainly supplied the
man power for implementation of the testing.
The tests are conducted every six
months i.e. post and pre monsoon and all the data is uploaded on the NRDWP site
regularly. Not all water samples are tested in the district labs and only
samples which are detected for any contamination from field testing kits
provided with panchayat are bought to district labs for further determination
of contaminants through spectrophotometer analysis.
months i.e. post and pre monsoon and all the data is uploaded on the NRDWP site
regularly. Not all water samples are tested in the district labs and only
samples which are detected for any contamination from field testing kits
provided with panchayat are bought to district labs for further determination
of contaminants through spectrophotometer analysis.
Below
are pictures of District lab and field testing kit used.
are pictures of District lab and field testing kit used.
Our next meeting
was with District Fluoride Officer Mr.Vinod. He is appointed from NPPCF
(National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis) working towards
Fluorosis mitigation in the State from past one year. The NPCCF also conducts
water testing of drinking water sources and urine analysis of patients who
appear to be affected from fluorosis.
was with District Fluoride Officer Mr.Vinod. He is appointed from NPPCF
(National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis) working towards
Fluorosis mitigation in the State from past one year. The NPCCF also conducts
water testing of drinking water sources and urine analysis of patients who
appear to be affected from fluorosis.
They strictly
adhere to guidelines mentioned in NPPCF for fluorosis mitigation and thus act
only as advisory body for the State departments who are responsible for
implementing their solutions. The officer was of the view that the
sustainability of existing 400 plants plus another 386 to be installed under
various schemes are highly questionable in water deficient areas such as Chikaballapur.
Thus, he was interested in knowing alternative methods and different
interventions that could be introduced to tackle fluorosis problems in the
district.
adhere to guidelines mentioned in NPPCF for fluorosis mitigation and thus act
only as advisory body for the State departments who are responsible for
implementing their solutions. The officer was of the view that the
sustainability of existing 400 plants plus another 386 to be installed under
various schemes are highly questionable in water deficient areas such as Chikaballapur.
Thus, he was interested in knowing alternative methods and different
interventions that could be introduced to tackle fluorosis problems in the
district.
After the meeting,
on his suggestion we headed towards Bagepalli Taluk which is known for high fluoride
content and visited Gulur Town, Bommagarapalli and Gundlapalli
which have been severely affected with fluorosis (both dental and Skeletal). We
visited a private school in Gulur along with field officers Ramesh and
Somashekar working for water and sanitation in the region. There we could
identify the presence of dental fluorosis in many children of the school as shown
below.
on his suggestion we headed towards Bagepalli Taluk which is known for high fluoride
content and visited Gulur Town, Bommagarapalli and Gundlapalli
which have been severely affected with fluorosis (both dental and Skeletal). We
visited a private school in Gulur along with field officers Ramesh and
Somashekar working for water and sanitation in the region. There we could
identify the presence of dental fluorosis in many children of the school as shown
below.
Currently, Gulur Town
is equipped with RO plant from government and most people consume this water for drinking and cooking purposes. But the consumption of fluoride contaminated
water continues in the villages (more than 2 ppm. Over all these years it has affected the
people with dental and non-skeletal fluorosis.
is equipped with RO plant from government and most people consume this water for drinking and cooking purposes. But the consumption of fluoride contaminated
water continues in the villages (more than 2 ppm. Over all these years it has affected the
people with dental and non-skeletal fluorosis.
Surprisingly,
there is presence of shallow water sources (seen below) nearby which is used for
the past 25-30 years.by many villagers for drinking purposes. It was found to have acceptable fluoride concentration upon our testing. This presents an excellent opportunity to identify and preserve these kind of sources in these regions. This could a potential source of drinking water with minimal treatment.
there is presence of shallow water sources (seen below) nearby which is used for
the past 25-30 years.by many villagers for drinking purposes. It was found to have acceptable fluoride concentration upon our testing. This presents an excellent opportunity to identify and preserve these kind of sources in these regions. This could a potential source of drinking water with minimal treatment.
We visited Bommagarapalli
and Gundlapalli later. These villages presented cases of severely affected
people with both non-skeletal and skeletal fluorosis as shown below. Both the
village have Fluoride concentration between 2-2.5 ppm. The main source of drinking
water and all other use was groundwater from borewells. Though a RO plant has
been commissioned for Bommagarapalli by the government it is yet to be
installed and tanker water is supplied from local NGO Swasti which is not
affordable to majority of the villagers. The stand-posts seen below supply water for different uses.
and Gundlapalli later. These villages presented cases of severely affected
people with both non-skeletal and skeletal fluorosis as shown below. Both the
village have Fluoride concentration between 2-2.5 ppm. The main source of drinking
water and all other use was groundwater from borewells. Though a RO plant has
been commissioned for Bommagarapalli by the government it is yet to be
installed and tanker water is supplied from local NGO Swasti which is not
affordable to majority of the villagers. The stand-posts seen below supply water for different uses.
Even
water supply to the schools is groundwater. As a result, dental fluorosis could
also be seen in children along with Adults. We can came across lot of
complaints about muscular and joint pains. Most people aged above 35 years had
initial stages of skeletal fluorosis. The pictures below narrate a story in
themselves about Fluorosis affecting population in Bommagarapalli.
water supply to the schools is groundwater. As a result, dental fluorosis could
also be seen in children along with Adults. We can came across lot of
complaints about muscular and joint pains. Most people aged above 35 years had
initial stages of skeletal fluorosis. The pictures below narrate a story in
themselves about Fluorosis affecting population in Bommagarapalli.
We found the case of severe skeletal fluorosis in Gundlapalli, seen below
The diet pattern
of the people consists of ragi, rice and sambar with tomatoes. The lack the
essential nutrients like calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin-C in enough concentration in the food is aggravating the condition in the affected regions. This is one of the major
areas where significant improvement is required.
of the people consists of ragi, rice and sambar with tomatoes. The lack the
essential nutrients like calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin-C in enough concentration in the food is aggravating the condition in the affected regions. This is one of the major
areas where significant improvement is required.
The people here
have gone through various phases of identification of fluorosis and its
manifestations by various groups. But, these villagers desperately require the
most practical solution to this issue. They are open to solutions which can
mitigate the effects of Fluorosis. The positive side to this story is that
there are people on the ground eager to learn from Fluorosis Knowledge and
Action Network and work towards Fluorosis Mitigation.
have gone through various phases of identification of fluorosis and its
manifestations by various groups. But, these villagers desperately require the
most practical solution to this issue. They are open to solutions which can
mitigate the effects of Fluorosis. The positive side to this story is that
there are people on the ground eager to learn from Fluorosis Knowledge and
Action Network and work towards Fluorosis Mitigation.
Shreyas S and Kiran Kumar Sen
Biome Environmental Trust
Good research and useful info.