MANGALURU: A deemed university in Mangaluru and a rural health centre in Pavagada are coming together to tackle the dreaded fluorosis problem dogging Tumakuru region since decades.
Swami Japananda, chairman of Pavagada Integrated Rural Health Centre of Sri Ramakrishna Sevashram of Pavagada, will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between his organization and Nitte University Oral Biology Fluoride to tackle Pavagada Fluorosis.
While Nitte University will provide startup support to take the project forward, the organization will monitor the functional status of de-fluoridation plants.
This modalities will be discussed at a workshop and expert work-group meeting scheduled to be held on Friday at AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences of Nitte University.
The group will discuss about tackling Pavagada Fluorosis followed by a Continuing professional development and work-group meeting initiated by Prof Chitta Ranjan Chowdhury, lead of fluoride team and head of oral biology and genomic studies at Nitte, and his team has been making efforts to combat the long-standing public health issue. His team is working towards developing and implementing a cost-efficient model to tackle the problem in Pavagada which is one of the fluorosis endemic areas in the state.
This action-based initiative is expected to reduce the prevalence of fluorosis significantly once all 19 de-fluoridated plants begin functioning.
This is the third work-group meeting which is progressing to an implementation phase, said Prof Chowdhury adding the team aims at a zero-tolerance of fluorosis at Pavagada in five years.
Unfortunately, a spatial distribution mapping of drinking water fluoride levels in the state Karnataka done by prof Chowdhury’s team has not found any takers in the state government. The map estimates the concentrations of fluoride in drinking water throughout different zones and districts of the state.
He said from the map shows fluoride level at a glance and identifies the fluoride deficit and excess areas of the state.
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