Bengal: Birbhum on Brink of Health Disaster with High Number of Silicosis-Infected Patients

Kolkata, Pachami: The Pachami crushing zone in eastern India is located 250km north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.

A few years ago, it was a nondescript stone crushing area, with operators processing just a few tonnes of stones each day, but now it is a vibrant zone where the latest technology is being employed to increase productivity.

This dynamic centre, in Birbhum district of the state, meets much of the aggregate demand of West Bengal, which is currently seeing large-scale development.

Birbhum district, under which the Pachami area falls, has another rock crushing zone, Rampurhaat. In all these zones, primitive technology is being used to crush rocks, filling up the entire area with stone dust, which aggravates with every explosion in the mining surface or when a rock crusher is used.

In many mines, the operation is done manually, leading to more environmental and health hazards for the people employed and living around the mining zone.

The main disease afflicting people here is silicosis, caused by inhaling poisonous stone-filled dust. It is a progressive disease with no cure, as the patients’ lungs get impaired slowly but steadily, ultimately resulting in death.

Newsclick recently was privy to a silicosis determination camp held in Pachami and witnessed that the age profile of the affected patients in the camp ranged from 23 to 60+ years. All of them said they had been employees of the stone crushing units and had been exposed to high levels of air pollution.

“My body is aching and I have had a chronic fever for the past few days. I have to join work after this spell of fever gets over,” Rani Mardi, 32, who was diagnosed with silicosis recently told NewsClick.

She said she had yet to come in terms with the progressive disease where death is the only outcome.  “How can I rest when my family members are starving?”, she added.

The condition of Sentu SK, 23, whose lives in Dholkata, was worse. A driver by profession, he used to ply vehicles around the stone-crushing units. Earlier, he had contracted tuberculosis or TB, but his recent X-ray and other reports show signs of silicosis, the doctors told him.

 “I feel my head is reeling all the time. I keep choking during work,” said Sentu, not realising what the progression of the disease means.

Recently, in Birbhum health district, the Silicosis Diagnosis Board held a meeting where 45 suspected silicosis patients were present. The board, after appraisal of their situation, confirmed that nine of them were silicosis patients.

In Rampurhat health district, about 60 silicosis patients were confirmed by the board. This district, too, falls under the administration of Birbhum district.