Nirmala Hanumappa Hosamane, or Nimmi as she is fondly called, is like every other 5-year-old: curious, affectionate, and a love for playing in the outdoors. When she noticed that I was talking to her mother, Annapurana, she came running and sat swiftly on the latter’s lap.
I’d been talking to Annapurana about how children in the village have been affected by fluorosis.
“Today is one of her good days,” she says, referring to Nimmi. “The bones in her leg ache so much she finds it difficult to walk. Her knees swell at least once a month”, she says.
Nimmi is a very happy child, she says, except for the days when her legs hurt her.
A common sight in the village is children with discoloured teeth. There is also a complaint of pus and pain around the teeth.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the most common cause of fluorosis is the “ingestion of excess fluoride” through drinking water. It “affects teeth and bones”.
Dental fluorosis develops much earlier than skeletal fluorosis. WHO also says that moderate amounts can have dental effects, while long-term ingestion can cause “severe” skeletal problems.
Fluorosis is an endemic disease in India, prevalent in 20 states, according to Fluoride and Fluorosis. In Karnataka, 14 districts have been identified as having endemic fluorosis, Gadag being one of them.
Fluoride is present in high quantities in the soil and rocks in this region, which is dependent on groundwater for drinking. Groundwater in this region is, therefore, subject to geogenic contamination that occurs due to natural causes, specifically due to interaction between water and rock. Consuming this water has led to exposure to fluoride.
As per the groundwater studies, conducted by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the fluoride content in Mustikoppa’s drinking water ranges from 0.2-3.2 mg/l - very high as per Indian standards, which is 1.0 to 1.5 mg/l. This is not a range—the acceptable limit is 1.0 mg/l, while it is 1.5 mg/l if there is no alternate source of drinking water available.
Savitha Beerappa Megeri (24) is a mother of two girls, Yellamma (5) and Ashwini (3). She says both have frequent stomach pain, and develop skin rashes on and off.
“There is no paediatrician who can address the issues. The last time I took them to (the PHC in) Kalikeri, they told me it was due to contaminated water, but not due to fluoride in the water,” she says.
An RO water plant has been installed in the village to enable the villagers to access clean drinking water. They need to pay Re.1 for 10 litres of water. The zilla panchayat has also ensured the installation of a rainwater harvesting system (RWH) in every household. Yet, villagers who live closer to the water pump continue using it to pump out drinking water.
But how about the water harvested through RWH, I ask.
“We had little rain this time, there wasn’t enough to collect”, they say in unison.
Mustikoppa also gets water for domestic purposes from the Tungabhadra every two days, for two hours. The water is not fit for drinking, according to the people of Mustikoppa.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) agrees: it regularly monitors the Tungabhadra river under Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) and Monitoring of Indian National Aquatics System (MINARS) programme. According to a KPSCB report, the Tungabhadra water mostly belongs to ‘B’ (outdoor bathing) ‘C’ (drinking water source with conventional treatment followed by disinfection) at different locations and during different months.
The Panchayat Adyaksh, Hanumanthappahalli, was not available for comment.
H B Gadigaravama, an official of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, said that Mundargi Taluk has recorded the highest levels of fluorosis in Gadag district.
Credits:
Kirthika Soundararajan