HYDERABAD: A Regional Fluoride Mitigation Centre (RFCC) that will benefit nearly 10 states is likely to be set up in Nalgonda district. A 53-acre land has been identified by the state government for the purpose.

On Tuesday, D Rajasekhar, deputy advisor, ministry ofdrinking water and sanitation, is slated to meet the panchayati raj department officials on the proposal and to finalise land for the proposed project.

Fluoride-affected districts in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and Andhra Pradesh will benefit from this project.

The centre will have facilities for rehabilitating patients affected by fluorosis, training of personnel to identify those affected by fluorosis, laboratories for carrying out tests and various other amenities. Fluorosis is a major problem in several states of the country. In dental fluorosis, the teeth of a person is affected and in skeletal fluorosis, the victim literally becomes immobile.

A meeting of scientists and officials from various parts of the country was organised in July at National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri), Nagpur where the issue of setting up of the RFCCin Andhra Pradesh was discussed.

In fact, another RFCC is also to be established in Gandhinagar in Gujarat which will cater to J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarkhand people.

Arjun L Khandare, deputy director, Food and Drug Toxicology Research Centre , National Institute of Nutrition told TOI that a detailed plan has been drawn up for the setting up of the RFCC.

He said once the place is finalised, work on the centre would begin soon.

It is learnt that initially the state government had offered a two-acre land near Uppal for setting up RFCC but it was felt that a bigger area was necessary and therefore land in Nalgonda has been identified.

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