Almost Every Household In This Bihar Hamlet Has Fluorosis Patient

Churaman Nagar village in Gaya has been badly affected by fluoride contamination in groundwater as 3.34 ppm is way above the limit prescribed by WHO.

Gaya: "When I turned 36, I developed physical problems. First, pain in my back and legs. Then gradually my physical condition changed. All this is due to polluted water," says Vinay Manjhi of Churaman Nagar village under Churi Panchayat in Bihar's Gaya.

Another villager, Kalia Devi, also has a painful tale to tell. "I have four children and all are differently abled since they turned five. My back is also bent and I had to marry my disabled daughter off with a huge dowry. That too in a poor family. Water has ruined my whole life," she lamented.

Sumit, another resident, shared how life sucks with deformity. "Both my legs started bending when I was five. It looks like I was run over by a car. Despite abject poverty, my parents gave me the best possible treatment but it was ineffective," he said.

Every household in Churaman Nagar has almost a similar narrative. Out of the 150 households, 60 per cent have a member severely affected by fluoride-contaminated groundwater. The serial consumption of water, with fluoride above the permissible limit, has turned youths into oldies.

Manjhi needs the support of an iron walker as his feet are too weak to hold his torso straight and starts trembling frequently. He even needs assistance to sit.

"I need support for standing as my neck and waist are bent downwards. I can walk only a few steps, that too with support. My condition has deteriorated due to the consumption of fluoride-mixed water. I was treated by an Ayurved practitioner in Bakror village of Bodh Gaya who charged Rs 25,000. Now I don't have money to get further treatment. My wife works as a labourer. I have a daughter and two sons who study in the government middle school near the hill adjacent to the village," he said.

Two villagers walk with the support of sticks. (ETV Bharat)

"Vinay was fine eight months back as he could walk without assistance. Churaman Nagar has many residents who were born with disformity. But Vinay was not like that. He worked as a labourer but now he is unable to walk without aid. Most households in the village have someone or the other suffering from disformity," Krishna Maji, Vinay's friend, said.

Like Vinay, Kalia Manji of Bahadur Bigha Tola faces a similar issue as her entire family is differently abled. "There are five members in my family. Some of them have crooked hands and legs while some have spread legs due to crooked hands. My two sons, Arjun (25) and Shankar (22) years and a daughter, Vichintar, became differently abled due to the excessive amount of fluoride in water. They didn't have any disuniformity during birth," she said.

Questioning the government scheme, she said there is no option for clean drinking water. The pension facility for differently abled children has also stopped.

Churnaman Nagar village has three Tolas — Churaman Nagar Ward No. 9, Chaman Deeh Ward No. 10 and 11 and Bahadur Bigha and the majority of the villagers are from the Manjhi community with some Chaudhary, Pasi and other cast.

Village women collect water from a tap. (ETV Bharat)

"The level of fluoride in the groundwater of the village is many times more than the acceptable limit. The Health Department and the Public Health Engineering Department have also conducted several tests, in which the amount of fluoride is found high," Uday Paswan, the panchayat pradhan, said.

ETV Bharat met 28-year-old Sumit, a differently able youth of Manjhi Tola, who holds a graduate degree. He was filling up a form online, sitting on a chair in his room. "I did my graduation from Mirza Ghalib College and appeared in several recruitment exams but couldn't clear any. After repeated rejections, I have made up my mind to work as a labourer. I have opened a cyber cafe in the village," he said.

"There is not much work but there is enough to cover our expenses. With this, we are still preparing for our exams. I have two brothers, both are in government service. I am also preparing for the railways. I have a disability certificate, but I do not get any benefit," he added.

The water tank built under the Saat Nichay scheme. (ETV Bharat)

Mahindra Maji can't move his legs and the doctor declared him as paralysed. "This is what the doctor said but I am not convinced. It seems my condition is due to the consumption of polluted water. I used to work as a labourer. I started experiencing body aches a while ago and thought it to be due to fatigue. But one morning, I failed to get up from the cot. When I was taken to the doctor he said I was paralysed. The treatment was unaffordable. Now my wife works to run arrange for household expenses and raise our children," he said.

According to the district disease control officer, Dr MA Haq, fluoride is measured in parts per million (ppm). As per WHO standards, it should be 1 ppm in drinking water and if the level is 1-3 ppm, it affects teeth which start decaying and above 3 ppm affects the bones.

A view of Churaman Nagar village. (ETV Bharat)

"If someone drinks water with fluoride more than three ppm, he can become disabled. Last year in 2024, I went to Churaman Nagar village with my team to check the health of the villagers. Calcium medicine was also distributed to them along with reviewing their disability certificates. The urine samples of some villagers with symptoms of disability were sent to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College Hospital. The report came positive," Haq said.

Gaya has 24 blocks and in half of them, fluoride content in groundwater is above the prescribed standard. These include Churaman Nagar under Nagar Chandauti block and Bhupnagar village of Aams block. Haq said the amount of fluoride is also found to be more than the standard limit in many villages along GT Road II.

Fluoride is a mineral naturally found in groundwater. If it is consumed in excess, it affects the bones, leading to their weakness. Fluoride leads to skin diseases and decaying of teeth.

The groundwater samples of Churaman Nagar have been tested several times and a 2016 test by the PHE department found 3.44 ppm fluoride.

Villagers near the water purifier which has been dysfunctional for a while. (ETV Bharat.)

"In 2024, the PHE department had collected groundwater samples. But as it was collected from a boring, the report came negative," Abhisant Raj, an engineer with the PHE department, said.

A few years ago, the PHE department installed a water purifier which has been lying dysfunctional. One Ram Pravesh Manjhi was appointed to look after the purifier.

"Initially he used to get Rs 2,000 for this. Later, that also stopped and the machine stopped working. No one has come to see it till now," Krishna Manjhi, a local ward member, said.

Village headman Uday Paswan said the PHE department didn't replace the dysfunctional purifier. Even the water purifiers installed in households have been lying dysfunctional.

Unaware of the conditions of the water purifiers, the PHE engineer said he would check the faulty machines and get those fixed. Two borings have been approved in the village and one of them is done.

A woman with scars of fluorosis. (ETV Bharat)

In 2016, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar promised clean drinking water to every household through pipelines under the Saat Nischay scheme. But the reality contradicts the promise as no house was seen connected with piped drinking water in Manjhi Tola. Only a tank is seen lying damaged.

Doctor Sanjay Prasad, a homoeopath, runs a campaign to prevent fluoride contamination."High fluoride content in water causes various problems, such as white spots on tooth enamel, bone-related problems, joint pain and especially the risk of dental and born fluorosis increases," he said.

A boy with a walker in the village. (ETV Bharat)

"Such problems are on the rise in the district. Churaman Nagar and Bhoop Nagar are left out of the government arrangements to prevent fluoride contamination. We go there and make aware people of boiling the boring water and filtering it with a cotton cloth before drinking. The effect of fluoride is increasing rapidly in 12 blocks of the district due to which people are falling prey to fluorosis," he added.