Children in gas-affected colonies suffer from deformities

Bhopal, Feb 25 (UNI) More than two decades after the Bhopal Gas tragedy, children continue to suffer from cerebral palci, cracked lips and other deformities from birth due to polluted groundwater and chemical waste dumped by the Union Carbide factory in 36 gas-affected wards of the state capital.

A survey by the state capital-based Chingari Trust, involved in the rehabilitation of these children, reported most children in these areas were mentally challenged.

More than 100 children had been identified for the survey and a team of medical experts from New Delhi's St Stephen Hospital had been called for examining their health. The team includes three doctors from New Delhi and two doctors from Bhopal.

The team provided treatment to some children kindling hopes among parents that these children could be cured to quite an extent with special care and treatment.

Chingari Trust Convenor Hari Joshi told UNI that the survey indicated poor and backward suffered most in gas-affected areas.

In all, the team examined 65 children, including 40 boys and 25 girls, below 10 years of age.

Of them, 23 were physically challenged, 15 had hearing impairment, nine were mentally dull, eight had cracked lips, five had eye-related problems, two had a hole in their heart and three were suffering from other diseases.

The team opined that poison in different levels of the body caused these diseases in children. One of the physically challenged was suffering from polio, while 11 children could be cured to some extent through surgery.

The medical team suggested to the Madhya Pradesh Government to establish rehabilitation centres for these children in view of deformities affecting them from birth due to contaminated water and chemical waste from Union Carbide factory. Their parents should be provided appropriate advice.

Besides rehabilitation, the government must take responsibility for providing them a means for livelihood.

According to the medical team, one of the reasons appeared to be poison from Union Carbide factory and contaminated water.

Therefore, facilities must be provided in gas relief hospital for treatment.

Bhopal Group for Information and Action's Satinath Sarangi said 10 surveys after the gas tragedy had proved that these areas were under the grip of several gas-related and water-related problems.

He said various chemicals had been found in groundwater in the 36 gas-affected wards.

Since the past five days, parents of children, below 10 years of age and suffering with deformities from birth, were staging a sit-in in the state capital demanding complete treatment for them.

These parents, agitating under the banner of four organisations, told reporters that children had lost their childhood in the absence of proper treatment and care.

They demanded Rs 1,000 per month pension for these children and free treatment for them.

UNI