Fluorosis, thanks to contaminated groundwater, is a major issue in the villages within Binjharapur block of Jajpur district.
Due to fluorosis in the ground water, many villagers are suffering from discolouration of teeth. Dental fluorosis is not treatable and the stains are permanent.
According to the World Health Organisation guidelines, the fluoride concentration in drinking water should not exceed 1.5 mg/l. But in the villages of Chandanpur, Olei ,Binjharapur, Haripur and others, the fluoride concentration is 5 milligrams in a liter, said the executive engineer of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) , Amiya Kumar Parija.
Around 3,000 people, including children, are presently affected by fluorosis and many are at risk of developing the disease.
In many villages, it is common to meet people with dental stains.
People in the age group, ranging from 2 to 70 years, have the stains.
A large number of villagers are still drinking water contaminated with fluoride from the tube-wells, said Sarat Jena of Chandanpur.
The contaminated water supply dates back to the 1990s, when the Government drilled many shallow tube wells to provide villagers with clean water, not realizing that the soil was heavily laced with naturally occurring fluoride, added Jena.
When contacted district Collector of Jajpur Ranjan Kumar Das said, “ We will soon supply drinking water to these villages by purifying the river water”.