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23 children die due to malnutrition, ill-health?

Staff Reporter

Fact-finding team visits three villages of Similipal sanctuary

Grim picture: A girl child suffering from malnutrion clinging to her mother in a hamlet inside Similipal.

BHUBANESWAR: Health of children in villages inside Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary continues to be grim with 23 children have reportedly died due to malnutrition, septicaemia, malaria, jaundice and pneumonia in two panchayats between January and June this year.

The spate of deaths is almost repetition of 2006. Nearly 23 people, including 13 infants, died due to malnutrition last year.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, a Fact Finding Team (FFT), which visited those villages, said malnutrition was found to be an endemic problem among women and children inside the sanctuary.

The FFT comprised journalists, lawyers, researchers, representatives from women’s and children’s organisations.

They termed the deaths, which had occurred in two panchayats, Gudgudia and Barehipani, as disturbing.

Quoting a survey conducted by jointly by the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) and health department, Sashi Bindhani of National Alliance for Women’s Organisation, said in a sample survey of 345 children in 0-5 age group, it was found that 82 per cent were suffering from malnutrition.

“Of them 57 children are down with malaria. During the visit it was found that another 10 children were suffering from fever in 3 villages," she said.

The FFT observed that poor sanitation and polluted drinking water were causing various diseases like diarrhoea and jaundice.

As bore or tube wells could not be dug in the villages due to stricter sanctuary laws, the members said adding that the people did not have any other option but to drink the polluted water.

According to an analysis done by the team, most of the population inside the sanctuary was not having access to adequate food.

“The average annual income of people in Gudgudia panchayat is below Rs 3000. The Ministry of Rural Development statistics say around 69 per cent of families of Gudugudia and 42 per cent of families of Barehipani get less than one square meal a day throughout the year," said Sweta Mishra of Orissa Protected Area Network.

Though painting on the Gudgudia Panchayat walls suggested six works under NREGA of nearly 23 lakhs had come there during 2006-07, but none of the people who met the team got work under NREGA, the members alleged.

The FFT found lack of coordination among various departments severely affected the implementation of the welfare programmes.

They demanded that a high-level SC and ST Commission should immediately visit the area and take stock of the situation.

"Ban on non timber forest produces trade should be immediately removed from the sanctuary area and NREGA work should be provided to the people," the team suggested.

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