INDIA: Diarrhea-prone village in Orissa still faces lack of safe drinking water 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that Uparagadala village, affected by water borne diseases such as diarrhea since 2009, still faces a lack of safe drinking water and nutrition. In 2009, the village experienced 8 deaths. About 6-7 persons came down with diarrhea in August 2010 but were saved by emergency relief. Orissa, in 2010, in the overall picture, had more than 2000 villagers affected and more than 100 deaths. It was discovered that there are only two wells with hand-pumps for the entire village composed of 180 households, mostly tribal people and Dalits. Water from one of the wells is not drinkable as it contains too much iron. The mud road leading to the village is not accessible during the rainy season, a time when the villagers face the greatest amount of water borne diseases.  This stoppage in transportation makes it difficult for the people to get to the public health institutions. Complaints were made a few times and at the Nodal meeting. However, the administration has not taken any substantial action as of today. As the rainy season is fast approaching, there is deep concern within the civil society about the water contamination due to various reasons. To add to the complications of the situation, women, pregnant women in particular, are forced to go through corrupt officials before getting medical treatment they need at public health institutions.

 

CASE NARRATIVE:

 

Right to safe drinking water

 

One hundred eighty-eight households living in Uparagadala village, Dasamantapur Block, Koraput district of Orissa, currently face a lack of safe drinking water that can cause serious water borne diseases or even death. They experienced 8 deaths in 2009 and in 2010, 6-7 villagers suffered from diarrhea. In addition, women are being deprived of their right to health. This is caused by blocked roads from the village.  As a result, proper access to public health institutions is at a standstill due to the great physical distance. There is also the problem of having to deal with corrupt medical personnel as well.

 

The breakdown of 180 households is as follows: the majority of 140 households are from a tribe, (Scheduled Tribe), called Parja. 15 households are Harizan (Scheduled Caste), and 25 households are others. All have been living in the village for more than three generations. Sixty to seventy percent cultivate a small piece of land like a half or one acre whereas some have four to five acres. Ninety percent are identified as Below the Poverty Line (BPL) families holding BPL cards. Those who are tribal members have submitted applications for titles to forest land which they have been cultivating as of November 2011.

 

All villagers, whether cultivating one acre or five acres of land, depend on rain for adequate crops to feed themselves. Every year they experience a decrease and more irregularity in rainfall, which affects their agricultural production. In addition, safe drinking water is a big concern. There are only two wells with hand pumps for all of the 180 households. A few years ago, one was built near the tribal communities, and another one for other communities including the Harizans. Since early last year, Harizans and others have been drinking water from a nearby river as they found that water from one of the two hand-pump wells was not drinkable. [Photo 1] useless hand pump

The water had a strong smell of iron and is visibly a reddish-yellow color. They discovered that the water got thick and more reddish after boiling. As a result, they resorted to using muddy river water for drinking. The women boil it sometimes but not always.

[Photo 2] river water used for drinking

 

During the rainy season in 2010, a lack of safe drinking water caused diarrhea in 6-7 villagers.  All were taken to the emergency health camp set up for diarrhea or given medicines by an Auxiliary Nursing Midwife (ANM). The villagers have been making complaints calling for safe drinking water facilities, most recently in May and June, at the Nodal meeting attended by Panchayat (elected village council) Executive Officer and seven Panchayat Raj members. The administrative authority has responded that they would take care of the situation, but as of this writing no actual steps have been taken.

 

Right to health

 

A few years ago, Mrs. Nilabhati Bagh of the Harizan community went to a Community Health Centre (CHC) to give birth to her third child. Under the Janani Soraksha Yojana (Mother Safety Program) designed through National Rural Health Mission, she is entitled to receive INR 1,400. The aim is to eradicate mother and child mortality and morbidity by encouraging women to deliver their babies at the public health institutions such as a Primary Health Centre (PHC), CHC, or district hospitals. Because the village is remote and has no proper road to reach the institutions, INR 250 is separately allocated for travel costs.  This takes her from her house to the main road where she can get an ambulance provided by the institutions free of charge.

 

Unfortunately, when calling an ambulance, she was asked to pay INR 200. In CHC, she had to pay INR 200 to the doctor and 200 to the female health worker. For her fourth child, she was not encouraged to go to the CHC.

 

Another woman, Suryo Takri, in her 30’s, delivered her son at the CHC a year and half ago. She was also asked to pay INR 200 for an ambulance, INR 300 to the doctor, INR 100 to the female nurse, and INR 800 for medicines. Her entire health care subsidy of INR 1,400 was spent on the CHC staff. And even worse, she and her family members who looked after her while in labor at the CHC had to take a public bus to come back home after delivery on the same day. The ambulance driver refused to take her home saying that he had another patient to pick up.

 

It was also discovered that the Koraput district hospital does not provide ambulances for women from other districts. A woman, whose husband is from Uparagadala village, said she went to the Koraput district hospital for delivery since her residence in a neighboring district is closer to the Koraput district hospital. But she was not provided with ambulance service and also had to pay INR 1,000 for medicines.

 

Physical inaccessibility caused by lack of proper roads is a big obstacle for women seeking care in the public health institutions. The CHC is 12 kilometers away from the village and women find it difficult to go to the center during the rainy season as the road gets flooded. In addition, the ambulance fee and medicine costs is a corrupt practice which discourages women from giving birth in an institutionalized facility and contributes to continuing child mortality.

 

On May 26, one Parja woman gave birth at home instead of going to the CHC. Her mother-in-law was aware that the driver would ask for an ambulance fee and she would have to pay for medicines and others items. She thought her daughter-in-law would be able to deliver her baby at home without any complications. But after delivering the new baby she found there were some problems with the baby and immediately called for an ambulance at 11pm on the 26th. The driver did not come immediately but early morning on the following day. Sadly, the new-born died in the ambulance on the way to the CHC.

 

Tribal women have been deprived of government public health facilities for generations. They keep to their own traditional practices for labor and health care. They are usually hesitant to approach public health institutions because their services are not favorable to tribal women. The corrupt medical personnel, including doctors, by taking bribes from rural women, contribute to the maintenance of a high child mortality rate.

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 

In 2009, diarrhea claimed 8 lives while 6-7 persons suffered from diarrhea in August 2010.  During the rainy season, ranging from June to August of 2010, it was reported that more than 2000 persons were affected and more than 100 persons died in Orissa overall. Koraput district is one of the districts in which the diarrhea death toll is high every year. Uparagadala village which claimed a high death toll due to diarrhea, unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation facilities including inadequate drainage and toilets has yet to be provided with any of these basic needs.

 

The AHRC has issued statements to the effect that the government of Orissa has failed for years to prevent the diseases of diarrhea and cholera from occurring. The government merely provides emergency relief for those who fall ill instead of eradicating the root causes by providing safe drinking water and a functioning sanitation system in all affected areas. Please read that statement for details, INDIA: Diarrhea and cholera are social disasters in Orissa.

 

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write a letter of petition to the concerned government agencies to call for immediate provision of safe drinking water and other facilities, and for the elimination of taking bribes from poor rural women, as practiced by corrupt public servants in the public health institutions.

 

The AHRC also wrote a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health respectively.

 

 

 

 

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