India - Girls can't find bridegrooms in this village

“Most of the girls of marriageable age are afflicted with fluorosis. Considering that marriages in the countryside are solemnised at an early age, there must be around 75-100 girls in the village who are waiting to find a bridegroom,” said Professor K K Singh and Neeraj Kumar, of the Department of Environmental Sciences, AN College, which conducted a study on fluoride content in the village water.

Deprived of their childhood even before they could walk, the children, mostly Dalits, of Kachhariadih village have been crippled by fluorosis.

“The fluoride content in water tested at most of the places in the village is 3 PPM, which is much above the permissible level of 1 PPM. Out of 12 hand pumps in the village, all of them had fluoride content in excess of the normal quantity,” said the members of the A N College team.