bout 5 kilometers from Rajauli Block of Nawada district in Bihar lay a picturesque

village called “Kachari Dih”. Surrounded by mountains and lush fields this village

houses around 320 families, ironically, who reveal their struggle for one of the basic

rights – Right to Live. Almost all the families have one or two physically impaired persons in

them. Children in these families are worse affected. They get crippled as soon as they start

walking. Aging shows on their face as they reach four-five years. The reason is high quantity of

fluoride present in the underground water that they draw from the tube well for drinking

purpose. The adult members being impaired or affected by this water have no other choice than

work as low paid labourers at the nearby stone crusher sites.

A

Kids from Kacharia Dih village. A closer look at their legs reveals the deformity.

caused by Fluoride.

“Kacharia Dih” A Crippled Village!

The story of “Kacharia-Dih” is not new however, a deeper look into the process of their struggle

provides fresh insights on the actual developmental process in one of the poorest areas of Bihar. It

shows the inherent problems in the administration, and the unending fight for basic rights by

villagers with support of civil society organization. It also shows the gap between fanciful

discussions at public forums and TV channels, and the grassroot realities.

The issue of fluoride in drinking water at Kacharia-Dih was highlighted way back in 2003 by a

PACS associated civil society organization named Mahila Vikas Samiti (MVS) with the support

of local media, and consequently by the national media. MVS adopted this village and mobilized

all the Harijan families to form a group to demand for their rights collectively. Soon the villagers

with the support of MVS pushed the matter to the block and then to the district administration.

“Initially the administration acted favourably and swiftly. Water around their habitat was tested

and it was found that the fluoride content was very high. The only solution seemed to be

rehabilitation of the villagers living in the affected areas”, says Leela Kumari, Secretary, Mahila

Vikas Samiti.

However, rehabilitation was not an easy process in that area eventhough there are plenty of

vacant plots around the village. The villagers did not want to go far from their original land and

their choice of land came under forest area, which made it tough for the administration to resettle

them. The delay in finding suitable plot was affecting the villagers every day for they were

drinking the same water. Cases of disability started rising. The villagers with the support of MVS

had pushed forward the demand of municipal tap water, but that was also getting delayed.

After few months of deliberations one site was agreed upon, but before the administration could

proceed further, the District Magistrate of Nawada got transferred in the year 2004 and the

process had to start afresh.

MVS again started a dialogue with the new administration in-charge. The files had to be moved

again. Since the male members were the only bread earners, it was difficult for them to leave their

work and go to the administration office to put forward their demands. MVS mobilized the

women, and the women group took up the charge of putting forward their demand.

By this time, 2 years had passed since the matter was first taken up. New children were born. The

contaminated water affected all of them. Meanwhile MVS started providing non-formal teaching

to the children and also started mobilizing the women to save money and remain bound in a

group. “During that period the district administration did provide municipal water to us however,

water supply was (and still is) insufficient and the only solution we thought was rehabilitation”

says Manoj Raghvanshi, a resident of the village.

At last in December 2005 the administration was able to provide suitable land to rehabilitate them

through Indira Awas Yojana. Money was sanctioned to the poor to build the house under Indira

Awas Yojna, but the new site did not have sufficient water to help the villagers build houses. The

delay in providing any source of water again delayed the process of building houses. Meanwhile

the villagers being poor started spending their loan sanctioned under Indira Awas Yojana on their

personal use. MVS tried to stop the villagers spend that money. With the support of the women

group, MVS again pressurized the administration to act faster.

After few months water at the new site was tested and two tube wells were sanctioned for that

area. However, only one got built. The other is yet to be built. The work has started but stops

whenever problem in the tube well arises, which gets repaired only after three-four days of

running around the block office by these disabled villagers.

It is over 4 years since the matter of rehabilitation at Kacharia-Dih was highlighted, but the

process is yet to complete in this small village. According to the staffs of MVS it will take

another six months.

Currently, MVS is helping the villagers apply for job cards under MNREGA. Crippled children

impatiently wait for their teachers. The adult members go to their routine work at the stone

crusher sites, while women go to the rehabilitation site for house construction. Feeling a bit

content and satisfied by looking at the half constructed houses Sudamia Devi, one of the women

from the village nicely sums up “We have gained a lot in this process, now we work in a group

and we together go to administration office to push our demand for tube-wells. Our demands are

met…”she hesitates but continues, “though only after running around for months at the

administration office. We have also started saving money for future use, otherwise who will give

us the money”. However, gloomily she says “ all our children are disabled, how will they live. If

only the matter could have taken up earlier and at a faster rate, our children could have had a

normal life”.

***

By

Samir Prasad

April, 2006

(The story was put on PACS-1 website, and also carried in official publications)