The National Human Rights Commission has directed the District Collector of Odisha’s Nuapada district to submit a comprehensive report on providing safe drinking water to people affected by fluorosis.
The NHRC warned the officer of personal appearance if the requisite information was not submitted within next four weeks.
Radhakant Tripathy, a human rights lawyer, had moved the commission raising issues caused by consumption of fluoride contaminated water in the district. Mr. Tripathy had argued that drinking of fluoride-laced water not only causes health problems, but also affects socio-economic life of people.
Nuapada is one of the worst fluorosis affected districts in the State. As many as 905 habitations of the district have been identified to have groundwater contaminated by fluoride. Upon prolonged consumption of the water, adults suffer skeletal fluorosis that deforms bones. Children have mottled teeth.
The disease is incurable once it aggravates. Fluorosis affected people cannot do physical labour for long. Thousands of people in Nuapada suffer from fluorosis.
The NHRC also requested the Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research and the Director General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to submit a report on how to deal with fluoride contamination within 15 weeks.
