In vibrant Gujarat, quake-prone villages lack amenities: study
Ahmedabad, Mar 16 (UNI) Villagers of the quake-prone areas of Gujarat remained deprived of basic amenities and suffered heavily on health and education fronts.
This was revealed in a survey conducted in 100 villages, mainly tremor-prone areas of Kutch, Patan, Surendranagar and Rajkot districts of Gujarat, by the CARE India, an NGO working on the developmental projects in rural areas. It was part of the Sustained Nutrition, Education, Health and Livelihood (SNEHAL) programme implemented by CARE India.
Highlighting people's plight, Veena Padia, programme director, CARE India, said while both men and women showed multiple health-related problems, on the education front, drop out rate in the primary school level was much higher in remote villages as there was a paucity of teaching staff.
She said while urban India particularly big cities of Gujarat are enjoying fruits of vibrant and flourishing economy, villagers of these areas are not getting sufficient facilities.
Fisherwomen of Rajkot reported repeated episodes of miscarriages, which they believed, was due to excessive workload.
''Backache was the most common problem among the women working on the saltpans. The women also reported longer menstruation (6-7 days) duration, white discharge and loss of hair due to carrying salt buckets on their head.'', the survey revealed.
The
saltpan
workers
also
reported
problems
such
as
boils
on
the
legs
and
hands,
cracks
and
ulcers
on
their
feet,
burning
sensation
in
the
eyes,
early
loss
of
vision
due
to
continuous
exposure
to
sun,
sunstroke
and
gastric-related
problems,
said
Ms
Padia.
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