Kidney-diseases kill 4% population of this Chhattisgarh village in 10-years
Living conditions in the tiny Supebeda village of Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district are so bad that as many as 64 people have died of kidney-related ailments in the last 10 years. That's roughly 4.3% of the village's 1,500-member population. What's to blame? Water purity? Soil quality? Mass consumption of locally-brewed liquor? A combination of all of these and more, officials say.
Supebeda is a nearly unreachable village deep inside a forest
Supebeda is located some 220km away from provincial capital Raipur. Most residents are SCs or tribals. Ironically, the town of Deobhog, some 12km away, is known for rich diamond deposits, while people living nearby are yet to get basic facilities like clean drinking water and healthcare. There's not even a proper road to reach Supebeda, which is located deep inside a jungle.
Health problems forcing poor villagers to sell off land, assets
Many locals have reported kidney ailments throughout the years. Tarun Sinha said he had to spend all his savings and sell his land for treatment. Trilochan Sonwani, another villager, claimed the status of several others was similar. Premshila, a widow, said her husband died last month due to a renal ailment. She added her father-in-law had died of a similar illness in 2011.
Villagers blame contaminated water for the situation
According to Sarpanch Sunita Nayak, the main cause of the ailments was contaminated drinking water. A government study supported her conclusion: water from a borewell was found to have alarmingly heavy metal content. The well was closed and arrangements made to bring water from neighboring Nisthiguda village, but Nayak said no tests have been conducted to check quality of water from the new source.
But officials suspect other factors behind the trend
The district administration, however, claims water isn't the only problem. "Multiple tests are being conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the diseases. Samples of soil from the village are also being examined," Gariaband Collector Shyam Dhawde said. Former Chief Medical Officer of Gariaband, Arun Kumar Ratre, said another factor could be the widespread consumption of liquor brewed in villages of neighboring Odisha.
The administration is now working to correct the situation
The administration is taking steps. A water filter plant has been installed in Supebeda, said Dhawde. A 'Supebeda ward' had been set up in Raipur's Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, to cater specifically to affected locals of this village. A dialysis unit in the Gariaband district hospital and a sub-health center in Supebeda have also been established. Financial aid was given to 96 families.
