For long years, the village of Kashipura in Surendranagar district in North Gujarat was dependent on groundwater for its daily needs. There is a high natural fluoride content in aquifer systems in the area, and hence, it is severely affected by fluorosis.
Consuming untreated water puts the health of the people living in the area at risk. The village of Kashipura now receives clean, safe drinking water because of a pipeline installed under the Water and Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO), an autonomous organization set up by the state to facilitate the participation of the people in implementing and monitoring the intra-village water supply. But a whole generation in the village who have been crippled by dental and skeletal fluorosis receive no care at their local health centers. Dental fluorosis can be treated by bleaching and microabrasion, but skeletal fluorosis requires long and specialized treatment.
In spite of the ailment being common and endemic across North Gujarat, the health centers do not have the facility to cope with it. According to the country’s Fluorosis Control Plan, the Ministry of Rural Area and Employment is the nodal agency that works with the State Health Department and Rural Water Department. But a paper by A.K. Susheela of Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation states that most health Professionals are not aware and up-to-date on the ailment and its characteristics and treatment. She also mentions an inadequacy in the work and communication of the Health Department, a lack of substantial funds, a lack of awareness among the public, and the need for a holistic approach.
Call to Action: Community Correspondent Neeru Rathod from Surendranagar has many acquaintances who suffer from fluorosis. She says that the disease seems to hollow a person out, leaving one in great pain and incapable of living a normal life. She asks concerned viewers to call the district health officer on 0275-2285383 and demand immediate attention to this issue and to give the afflicted access to subsidized treatment and much-needed relief.
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Produced by: India Unheard
Year: 2010
Language: Gujarai and Hindi/ English subtitles
