Children - Terre des Hommes

61
The anganwadi in
Sultanpura showed
66 children enrolled
although there are
85 children below
6 years of age in the
village. On the day
of our visit there
were only 17 children
present and the
teacher hastily came
to the anganwadi,
upon hearing that
a team was visiting.
There were no records
Child hanging to the weighing scale, which
maintained by the
was lying rusted, at Sultanpura anganwadi. No
record of children’s growth maintained teacher here and
(Photo December 2009)
she could only show
empty files. There
were no educational materials found, and even the basic kits
were not available. On our insistence, the helper took out
the weighing scale which had no suspension belt to hold the
children. The teacher asked the children to hang on to the
hooks when we requested for them to be weighed. There was a
space called a toilet but it was being used to store firewood. The
taps had no running water and the general sanitation of the
anganwadi was abysmal. The majority of the children looked
very anaemic but as the anganwadi teacher is too careless to
maintain any records, we could not get accurate data.
Health Problems
Dr. Shankar Nair of CHC hospital in Hospet said that
most of the patients who come to the hospital were migrant
mine workers whose economic condition is too poor to help
them maintain a basic level of good health. He said that
they suffered from TB, malaria, pneunomocosis, lung and
skin diseases, and asthma. HIV/AIDs have increased after
mining activities reached a peak.
The doctors at the CHC in Toranagallu, Sandur, gave their
medical observations of the health problems in the taluk.
They felt that the large number of steel plants set up in
Sandur have created air pollution with toxic fumes from the
chimneys causing allergies and infections to the people in
the surrounding areas. Children particularly, are exposed to
this from birth and are therefore, having respiratory illnesses.
The CHC records here show 59 cases of TB and 51 cases of
HIV/AIDS, most of whom were mine workers. The hospital
Toilet being used to keep firewood at Sultanpura anganwadi in Sandur
(Photo December 2009)
also commonly has cases of kidney stones from the areas
close to the mine sites. The overall diagnosis of the doctors
of the CHC shows that malnutrition is high among the mine
workers and their children. The big companies like the Jindals
run hospitals but they do not service the communities or
workers as the medical costs here are high and only meant for
the upper strata of the society in this area.
In Rajapura village, according to the anganwadi worker, 25
persons have TB, all of whom were working in the mines. Due
to the hazardous nature of the work and physical strain, almost
all the workers are addicted to some form of drugs, tobacco
or alcohol. Even young children, mostly boys, are addicted
to drugs in order to withstand the strenuous work and body
pains. The easy access to drugs, supplied by peddlers who are
known to have the blessings of mine owners, contractors and
police, creates a vicious nexus that is an outright violation of
the safety and security of the children of Bellary.
Kariganuru village has 7–8 private clinics which reflect the
high rate of illnesses here. Although there was a government
TB hospital, it is closed now. The common diseases found in
Malnourished child in a mining affected colony
(Photo December 2009)