Report confirms high incidence of silicosis in Rajasthan’s Dholpur

Urgent intervention must to check this incurable disease

Updated - April 07, 2016 02:22 am IST - JAIPUR:

miner, who has been suffering from silicosis for the past two decades, sits outside his house in Arampura Mahu village in Karauli district ofRajasthan.  Photo: Rohit Jain Paras

miner, who has been suffering from silicosis for the past two decades, sits outside his house in Arampura Mahu village in Karauli district ofRajasthan. Photo: Rohit Jain Paras

For many mine workers here, it began as a respiratory problem. And most of them were diagnosed with tuberculosis. Only later it became known that it was silicosis — an incurable disease caused by exposure to silica dust — and not TB.

Earlier this year, the National Institute of Miners’ Health (NIMH) detected 222 cases of silicosis among stone mine workers, in collaboration with Dang Vikas Sansthan (DVS), an associate of ARAVALI (Association for Rural Advancement through Voluntary Action and Local Involvement), a non-government organisation initiated by the government of Rajasthan and voluntary agencies.

The findings shows that of the 138 X-rays evaluated, 53 (38.4 per cent) had evidence of silicosis.

The detailed report, ‘Detection of Silicosis Among Stone Mine Workers from Dholpur District’ authored by the then Director of NIMH P.K. Sishodiya and his colleagues S.S. Nandi and S.V. Dhatrak, was submitted to the Directorate-General of Mines Safety (DGMS), the District Collector, the Ministry of Mines, the Ministry of Labour and Employment and other agencies.

A rehabilitation and relief programme has been initiated, including ex gratia payment by the State government, and treatment of those affected.

(This is the concluding article of the two-part series)

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.