Health dept begins disease profile of Achan residents

Children suffer from various infections, worm infestation

State Health Department Friday began the disease profile of people living around infamous Achan garbage dumping site on the City outskirts.
According to officials, over 1000 people have been screened by a team of doctors from district Srinagar, under National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS) and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) unit of Srinagar.
“The initial investigations have revealed that many children are suffering from diseases including intestinal and skin infections and worm infestation,” Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Srinagar, Dr Bashir Ahmad told Kashmir Post.
He said the team screened people for various ailments, documented the profile of patients and advised them to approach nearest hospital or health center for further evaluation and follow-up.
CMO said the disease profile would cover every resident living around Achan to ascertain their health status.
“Till now three camps have been organized at Breawar, Tangbagh and Saidpora and a total of 1000 persons have been screened by a team of doctors,” Dr Bashir said.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had also pulled up the ruling PDP-BJP government for its failure to handle municipal solid waste in Srinagar, saying the landfill site at Achan is causing serious environmental, human health and groundwater pollution problems.
“We have been accommodating the government of Jammu & Kashmir now for more than a year-and-a-half. They have not been able to finalize any stakeholder for the establishment of a Municipal Solid Waste Plant in any of its responses and the sanitary landfill site is causing serious environmental human health and groundwater pollution problems,” a Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar had said.
“This state of affairs cannot be permitted to continue any longer,” it said.