Nagpur: If Asola in Yavatmal has become infamous recently for
kidney failures, Khandala, a village in
Akola district, had gone through a similar phase eight years ago.
Residents here say there were over 100 deaths due to kidney failure in the village, in a span of three to four years, till 2010. After the matter was raised vehemently, the district administration changed the source of water supply, after which the deaths stopped. The groundwater in Khandala was found to be contain high silica content, which is suspected to have caused kidney disease. The village now gets water from a dam on the Van river, a little distance away.
Muthukrishnan Shankarnarayanan, the then collector of Akola district, recalled that water was diverted through a central scheme. The officer, who is now posted at Mumbai, said he remembered that there had been some health issues related to water, but did not recall any deaths having taken place.
The locals told TOI over phone that over 100 people had died in 3-4 years. Now, the village gets treated water from the dam, and the deaths have abated after that. However, there are still some patients undergoing treatment for kidney trouble.
Sarpanch Balwant Sangunade said a majority of the deaths took place three years before 2010. He claimed to have an entire list of the deceased at the panchayat office. Over telephone, Sangunade called out six names, including Sumedh Date, a 12-year-old boy. Others were in the age group of 38 to 52. “Things have improved now. There are some patients still suffering from the disease, but deaths have stopped after the water was changed. It was found that the groundwater had high silica content, which led to the troubles,” he said.
Dr Sanjay Kolte, a kidney transplant expert from Nagpur, said since silica is a type of metal, it can cause kidney problems.
Manohar Golaik, a resident and also local news reporter, said, “Initially there were 3-4 deaths and all were due to kidney failure, which led to the first suspicion. The doctors with whom the locals were undergoing treatment pointed out various factors for kidney problems, which included water contamination as well. The water was tested at different laboratories and it was found that it had high silica content.”
At that time teams from Government Medical College (GMC), Yavatmal, had also reached the village to diagnose the patients, he said. Golaik said there was pressure from local media as well which led to the water source being changed.
