Bhopal: In the eye of storm for malnourishment deaths, Sheopur district’s large number of malnourished children and their families are forced to drink contaminated water from nullahs.
More than 50 per cent villagers in Karhal block, one of the worst malnourished areas of the district, are drinking contaminated water. A large number of malnourishment related deaths have been reported from the district, though the state government has claimed that these deaths are not related to malnourishment while attributing them to other factors and ailments.
Thousands of Saharia tribals in remote villages of Panar, Dhava, Kakardha, Gandhidham, Ghared and Dabli among others have been fetching water either from some water pond or nullah. Secretary of Mahatma Gandhi Sevashram, Ran Singh Parmar said, “They lack basic amenities. They use water from the same water body where cattle quench thirst or take a dip to beat the heat. This leads to diarrhoea and sometimes death.”
The government itself said these deaths have taken place due to different diseases like viral infection, TB and diarrhoea among others, he said. Following reports of malnourishment deaths in Sheopur, health minister Rustam Singh visited affected villages earlier this month. Later, he told TOI that 8 to 10 children died of different issues related to malnutrition during the last four to five months, The Times of India reported.
After his visit to Golipura village of Sheopur from where malnutrition deaths are reported, he said, “Tribals told me that there children were unwell. They also said that they did not take them to hospital and by the time healthcare reached them they died.”
District collector Panna Lal Solanki denied reports of lack of drinking water facility. “I have visited almost all the villages. In Panar, we are using solar panel for drawing water from tube-well. Even otherwise we have tube-wells functioning in these villages.” He also denied any diarrhoea related death in Sheopur.