GUWAHATI, May 24 ? At the tender age of seven years, Purnima Rongpharpi of Tekelangjun in Karbi Anglong has lost all colours of life and is left staring at a bleak future. Affected by deadly fluorosis, Purnima is suffering from acute backpain, chronic dysentry and mattled teeth at such an early stage in her life when she should be playing with toys.
Deadly fluorosis has deprived a large section of population in Karbi Anglong of their child hood and youth. Drinking water in many parts of Karbi Anglong hill district particularly in Tekalangjun, Dengaon, Ransapathar, Lungnit, Kheroni, etc, is found to be containing excessive fluoride content which has caused fluorosis among a sizeable section of population.
Ground water is Tekelangjun in Karbi Anglong is found to contain very high percentage of fluoride, but still the State Government as well as the Centre has remained indifferent towards setting up fluoride treatment plants in Karbi Anglong areas to provide the tribal populace there with safe drinking water. Although a section of technical staff in the State Public Health Engineering (PHE) department have devised models of handy water filter with activated aluminae to remove excess fluoride from water, these are yet to be tested due to lack of response from the State Government, it was alleged by a group of fluorisis-hit people from Karbi Anglong today.
The fluorosis-affected groups of people numbering over 25 today staged a ?dharna? at Dispur Last Gate here demanding urgent steps from the State government to provide safe drinking water in fluorosis-affected areas in Karbi Anglong to save the population there.