Ritika
PatnaThe risk of cancer is increasing due to drinking arsenic-rich water in many villages of Bihar state. Because of this, the number of cancer patients is increasing across the country. The news of death of a patient is coming in every five to eight minutes in the state. At the same time, Bihar is the fourth largest state in the country in terms of cancer. Apart from this, more than one lakh cancer cases are being reported annually in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Cancer deaths are also highest in these states. Talking about the year 2022, Bihar is at the fourth place among the states in terms of death due to this disease last year.
According to reports, the biggest reason for the increase in cancer cases in Bihar is arsenic-rich water. The people of the villages situated on the banks of the Ganga are forced to drink water containing arsenic. The people of these areas said that they have been drinking this water for years. Arsenic content in water is high due to boring at lower level. People allege that corruption takes place due to the connivance of government employees. A villager said, “Earlier we protested for setting up a water treatment plant in Maner, but nothing happened. Today many villagers are suffering from cancer.
Bihar | Villagers of Maner block, Patna dist say arsenic-contaminated groundwater is affecting their health
“Earlier we held a protest demanding installation of a water treatment plant in Maner but nothing happened. Many villagers are suffering from cancer today,” says a villager. pic.twitter.com/eO5E85EJbn
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2023
According to the head of the village, Shailesh Kumar, ‘It was because of this water that his parents also died of cancer. There are hundreds of families in the entire village who have cancer patients in their homes. No effort is being made by the government to eliminate arsenic from the water here. The color of the water coming out of the ground was red and yellow. People here are forced to drink this kind of water.
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Regarding this matter, Danapur SDM Pradeep Singh said, ‘I have seen media reports about the complaint of arsenic groundwater in 73 villages of Maner subdivision.’ He said, ‘It has always been our endeavor that people get a pure environment to live in. Schemes like Jal Jeevan Hariyali should be implemented properly on the ground. We have received complaints about this. We will get it investigated by the Block Officer and First Aid Officer. Monitoring of such cases is done at the district level. If someone comes and meets us or gives a complaint in writing, we will definitely get it investigated.
State Deputy CM and Health Minister Tejashwi Yadav said, ‘Our government is serious about this matter. We are working on cancer treatment with Tata Memorial Hospital. We are providing this service in six medical colleges of the state. Going to provide cancer drug morphine and testing facilities for early detection in 38 districts of the state.”
