CHAPARAI: The water from the stream, which is suspected to have caused the death of 16 tribals in Chaparai recently, continues to be the drinking water sources for the villagers, notwithstanding the fact that water is highly contaminated and muddy.It is shocking to watch tribals drinking the water from the source where they wash their cattle, utensils, clothes. Some time stray pigs get into and out of water as though they are in a playful mood.
“The water from the lone borewell is much worse. It is tricky with mud and unfit for drinking. Between the two evils, the lesser evil is stream water,” says Kesava a youth in the village, adding that boiling of water is not done as they would have to use precious wood for something that they can do away with. Lack of proper sanitation, water facilities and illiteracy has proved costly for the villagers. Unaware of the consequences, a number of Chaparai tribals did not mind eating even dead sheep. Villagers said on that fateful day, there was nothing wrong with the meat as such served in marriage reception. What appears to have caused infection and finally death was eating of animals that devoured the leftover meat at the wedding reception.
“Around 30 kgs of food including rice, curries was left out after marriage. Then it was dumped near our houses. The food was eaten by animals, which died after a couple of days. After that the villagers picked them up, cooked and consumed the meat of the dead”, said former MPTC of Boddangi and resident of Chaparai S Neelam Reddy. He also said that after consuming the dead meat, health issues started within a day or two followed by deaths. The villagers claimed that not all of them have eaten, but people who ate fell ill and some even died.
This is not for the first time that the villagers have eaten dead sheep or pigs. But they fell ill after they ate animals which feasted on the contaminated meat. Villagers admitted that many a time, dead animals were thrown into the water stream, and then they had to consume the water but nothing happened.
Moreover, the food dumping has also yielded another issue for the locals, as it gave rise to mosquitoes. “We were totally unaware of the consequences. Dumping of food waste was the real problem and it has given rise to very severe mosquito menace since the last couple of weeks and due to which many are falling ill by the day”, said an Anganwadi teacher from the village Ch Rukminamma.
Moreover, just a visit to the Chaparai village will tell you the sad state of affairs in which the villagers live. The houses are completely surrounded by pigs and other cattle, as children play with them. Most of the villagers being shepherds, many have sheep. As the locals dump garbage nearby surroundings, pigs gather there and meanwhile few locals also allow pigs to grow nearby offer them to the deity during festivals. Medical facilities are nonexistent.
The villagers were left with no answer, as nine out of 10 times, they consult a local medical practitioner, due to lack of road connectivity.