Current public health perspective of fluorosis mitigation project in Pavagada taluk, Karnataka

BACKGROUND: Fluoride has become a recurring theme in discussing water issues in India. In Karnataka, where groundwater sources are concentrated with fluorides the impact is devastating. Dental and spine-related ailments are showing up in many cities and villages. Several villages in Pavagada taluk in Tumkur district have fluoride concentration 5 times more than the permissible level. The different aspects to the problem are many defluoridation interventions were failure. OBJECTIVE: To determine and compare fluoride level in water samples from Fluorosis mitigation project area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of municipal water were collected in sterile containers in an unannounced visit. All the samples of water were assigned a code so that those undertaking analysis would be blind to the source. Fluoride levels were determined by an ion-selective electrode (Orion 94-09) method. RESULTS: Mean fluoride level in the water samples collected in the project was 0.8 which was within the normal range. CONCLUSION: Even though the fluoride level was within the normal limits after implementation of flourosis mitigation project, ground reality was numbers of beneficiaries were less. Hence, proper planning and monitoring always becomes essential for any project to be successful.