The mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew
then that ‘W-A-T-E-R’ meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my
hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, joy, set it free.
Helen Keller
Water is meant to be life for all
of us also. From womb to tomb we need water, drink it, and admire it in nature.
But do we like it when it is rich of chemicals and pollutants? Now think do we all drink safe water?
Possibly but not probably! In our busy
mechanical world do we really take time to think about social & health
issues? Or flashy branded new products in the market? Of course many of us look
at the second option keenly and just have a glimpse on the first. At the same
time when the problem prevails in our locality, we would voice out the issue in
all possible means like awareness by medical professional, health department
authorities, sharing in internet, etc. But thinking about people in bullock carts,
farming and living with the nature this is one problem out of ten.
On March’12 I happened to visit a
semi-urban place named Pavagada, Tumkur District, Karnataka. Pavagada is situated in the border
of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The name was created because of presence of
snakes in the mountain (Pava- Snakes, gada- Mountain). Dry land, hot weather, temples, mountains,
pigs around houses are the significant feature of Pavagada. Their main
occupation is Cotton and groundnut cultivation, garland making, few women are
in self help groups.
Before 5 years the place came into light because of
terrorists. But now more than terrorism it’s a water war the people
face. Yes friends! The water the people use has high fluoride content. This
excessive fluoride in water leads to a nutritional disorder named Endemic Fluorosis.
There is a sequence of changes in teeth, bone and Periarticular tissues for
those who consume this water. These changes lead to a variable degree of
locomotor disability, ranging from simple to severe mechanical back pain, crippling,
combined locomotor and neurological impairment.
Once I
entered into Pavagada, it was really shocking to see a row of men in middle
adulthood beneath a tree with walking sticks. The
percentage of physical disability is more comparing to other disabilities (like Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment,
and Mental retardation). Congenital disability (at birth) is less and acquired disability (after birth) is more. The disease
causes dental decay- decolourization of teeth, advance to affects the legs ends
in crippling.
People who are migrated to this place happen to have dental
deformity. And the native people
of Pavagada happen to have skeletal deformity.
Though kids,
parents, elderly people are aware of this Endemic Fluorosis they don’t take
precautions. Mid day meals for school children, Nutrition Supplement for
Anganwadi children is available through government. Yet these people are unable
to afford for filtered water which is circulated by a Voluntary agency. Safe
drinking water should be considered as a prior need and right of a citizen.
In India,
where the right to water is not enshrined as a fundamental right in the
national Constitution, courts at both state and federal level have interpreted
Article 21 of the Constitution, the right to life, as encompassing the right to
safe and sufficient water and sanitation.
“The right to water and
sanitation is a human right, equal to all other human rights, which implies
that it is justiciable and enforceable.” - UN Human
Rights Council, September 30, 2010
Water is
described as a “basic human need” in the 2012 National Water Policy. Pawan
Kumar Bansal, India’s Minister of Water Resources has described water as a
natural resource, fundamental to life, livelihood, food security and
sustainable development, noting that it is also a scarce resource. Despite India’s obligation
under the UN and despite the water crisis as hundreds of millions of people go
without proper access to sanitation and drinking water, India has opted to
frame its most recent policy in terms of water as a need and,
intends to privatize it. This missed opportunity is a major threat to the right
to water in India today.
Educated, Sensitized people in
metropolitan cities, urban areas prefer mineral water and re-assure the quality
of water. But the rest of the illiterate, underprivileged, marginalized, rural populations
think about utility of water rather than quality of water. Pavagada is a place
which came into lime light with this health issue, there would be many villages
which suffers due to the same without any awareness. The awareness to the
precautions, sensitivity towards the issue should be understood and followed by
children, women, elderly people. Endemic conditions like fluorosis affect the
major population and many a times prevention is possible. As a student,
teaching professional we also play a small role in spreading the awareness to
the nearby places. Out of the books even students should be motivated to
connect the learning with the current scenario or issues in society. Through
the active part of corporate social responsibility or outreach activities of
hospitals/ voluntary organizations these sorts of health issues would be
addressed.
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| More than a Right, Water is a Plight! |
