At
47, G Dharma Rao of Badaputi village in Chhatrapur block of Odisha’s
Ganjam district suddenly finds himself becoming a burden on his family.
He was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) two years ago. Dharma is now unable to do any work and is undergoing dialysis in a Bhubaneswar hospital twice a week.
“We
have already spent over 5 lakh rupees for his treatment by taking hand
loans from relatives and others at an interest of 2 percent/month,” said
G Aimma (42), Dharma’s wife.
The treatment is costly and people in the village have been succumbing to the disease despite medical help.
With chronic kidney disease progressing like an epidemic in Badaputi and nearby villages, there are hundreds of women like Ghima, who are either taking care of those taken ill or have lost their family members to the disease, and are left with a crippling financial burden.
Epidemic-like Situation
With chronic kidney disease progressing like an epidemic in Badaputi and nearby villages, there are hundreds of women like Ghima, who are either taking care of those taken ill or have lost their family members to the disease, and are left with a crippling financial burden.
S Santamma (50) and P Savitri (45) lost their husbands to
renal failure last year. Thirty-five-year-old G Kasturi is struggling to
continue the treatment of her husband, G Krushna Rao, who suffers from multiple
ailments like kidney stone, lever malfunctioning and tuberculosis in the brain.
"We have spent nearly seven lakh rupees on treatment of my husband by taking loans at a monthly interest of 3 percent." - G Kasturi
Kasturi
sent her daughter to work in a medical company in the neighbouring
Andhra Pradesh to help support the family with whatever meagre amount
she earns.
"In Badaputi alone, around 100 people were detected with kidney disease and are undergoing treatment and, in three years, over 40 people have died of renal failure." - Gurudev Behera, Local Activist
Total population of Badaputi is somewhere around 3,000.
With
the disease affecting people from at least seven villages of three gram
panchayats of Kalipalli, Kanamona and Aryapalli, over 200 people from
the area are undergoing treatment for chronic kidney disease, while
nearly 70 people have died of it in the last three years, he says.
All
six members of the family of Gaurang Sahu of the P Laxmipur village
died in last four years. “G Apanna of the village committed suicide as
he was diagnosed with CKD. With about 15 people already diagnosed with
CKD, many are now afraid to go for medical tests fearing trace of CKD
and the financial misery following the diagnosis.”
According to Prof Saroj Kumar Panda, consulting nephrologist at Brahmapur-based MKCG Medical College Hospital:
"The disease has been seen among people in this locality since the last 7-8 years. But the disease has progressed mush faster over the last 3-4 years. Most patients come for a diagnostic test at a later stage of kidney disorder, i.e. only when they see unusual symptoms in their body."
No Concrete Reason Why Kidney Disease is on the Rise
“Higher incidence of the disease could be due to the presence of toxic and heavy metal in water and food,” says Prof Panda
These villages are located close to India’s Department of Atomic Energy controlled Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL) and its monazite processing plant. Villagers blame IREL for their woes.
These villages are located close to India’s Department of Atomic Energy controlled Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL) and its monazite processing plant. Villagers blame IREL for their woes.
"Piles of waste dumped is polluting the surface as well as groundwater and causing the disease." - A Venkat, Local Activist
But
IREL says their claims are not supported by and evidence or reports of
tests done so far. An expert committee report based on the test of
samples conducted at Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Central
Laboratory, Bhubaneswar, observed that “water quality of the (IREL)
periphery area is within the norm and the cause of Kidney disease may
not be due to water.”
The
December 2017 report, however, recommends a detailed study by NEERI,
Nagpur, or National Geo-Physical Research Institute, Hyderabad, to
establish the cause of the kidney disease in the area.
A 2015 report based on tests by state public health laboratory also certified that the “water is bacteriologically satisfactory for portability as per the specifications of Indian standard of drinking water under IS 10500:91,” while recommending for high level investigation to delineate the causal relationship.
When
approached for a response on the public health issue, Prem Chandra
Chaudhary, the Ganjam District Collector, said that “the earlier tests
were based on eight parameters. The district administration has planned
for a detailed test of water samples on 108 parameters. This may happen
sooner within a month.”
“We also plan to supply drinking water sourced from a safe distance to the affected villages,” he added.
“We also plan to supply drinking water sourced from a safe distance to the affected villages,” he added.
Immediate Priorities
“Since
it is a public health issue that has already taken over 70 lives and
nearly 200 are still suffering, the government shouldn’t wait till the
report of the planned expert study comes. It needs to act on an urgent
basis and conduct specialised health camps regularly for early detection
of kidney disease and provide facilities for treatment of the kidney
patients including dialysis,” says the Citizen’s Inquiry Report
presented by a team comprising social activists and scientists.
Even
as the report was being written, on 22 January 2018, Laxmi Amma (35) of
Baginipetta and T. Arjun (38) of Badaputi village succumbed to the
chronic kidney disease.
“There
is no time to spare as people keep dying. It’s the duty of the State to
save lives of people first,” insisted Prafulla Samantara, the Goldman
Environmental Prize winner activist who has started a campaign for
health safety of the villagers suffering from chronic kidney disease.
This report first appeared on January 24, 2018, at The Quint.
