Amshala Swamy, a champion of fluorosis victims, dies in Munugode
Swamy was exposed to fluoride in his childhood and fought a long battle. As the leader of the Fluorosis Vimukti Porata Samiti movement, he fought on many issues for the last 30 years and raised his voice on behalf of the victims
By Newsmeter Network Published on 28 Jan 2023 9:30 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Amshala Swamy, who worked tirelessly to help fluorosis victims in the Nalgonda district, passed away on 27 January. He suffered a head injury after he fell from his battery-operated wheelchair while climbing the ramp of his residence at Shivannagudem under Marriguda mandal in Munugode constituency, Nalgonda district.
Swamy was exposed to fluoride in his childhood and fought a long battle. As the leader of the Fluorosis Vimukti Porata Samiti movement, he fought on many issues for the last 30 years and raised his voice on behalf of the victims. He also met several Chief Ministers to submit representations for a solution to the issue.
Telangana IT minister K.T Rama Rao expressed his condolences on Twitter. KTR had helped fulfill Swamy’s dream of having his own house by sanctioning a double-bedroom house and funds to set up a salon for his livelihood. KTR shared a photo of him sharing a meal with Swamy during his visit to the Munugode constituency as part of the by-poll campaign. “He was a fighter who championed the cause of Fluorosis victims & an inspiration to many. He will always remain close to my heart. May his soul rest in peace,” KTR Tweeted.
Expressing condolences, Chief Minister KCR recalled that Swamy is synonymous to fluorosis, which emerged as a big social menace in Telangana in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. He said Swamy's struggle with a humane approach inspired many during the Telangana struggle. "It is the fluorosis victims like Swamy, who are the inspiration behind the government's strong resolve to provide fluorosis-free purified drinking water through the Mission Bhagiratha scheme in the own state" said KCR.
His story:
Amshala Swamy wanted to become a soldier in the Indian Army and make the country proud. However, his dreams came crashing down when he was diagnosed with skeletal fluorosis. He has been crippled since he was 5. Skeletal fluorosis is a disease caused by excessive ingestion of fluoride through water, food, or both. Swamy is not an isolated case. He is among thousands of people who suffer from fluorosis in the Nalgonda district.
Fluorosis-free state
Despite political leaders promising to make Nalgonda fluoride-free, the dangerous chemical continues to be higher than the permissible limit set by World Health Organization (WHO) and Jala Sadhana Committees. Pertinently, Nalgonda district continues to be a part of the National Programme for Prevention and control of Fluorosis (NPPCF). The fluoride levels ranged from 1.6 to 4.6 in several Mandals of the Munugode constituency. When they realized that the fluoride levels were high, villagers used to travel to Hyderabad in buses to fetch Krishna water for as many people as possible.
Swamy was part of the Jala Sadhana Samithi protest by the Indian water rights activist and founder of Jala Sadhana Samithi Dusharla Satyanarayana in 1966. He was also part of another battle called ‘Fluorosis Vimukthi Porata Samithi’ by Kanchukatla Subhash Swamy. A photograph of him as a baby sleeping on a table in front of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee made Swamy famous.
In June 2014, Telangana Chief Minister KCR, after the state bifurcation, launched ‘Mission Bhageeratha,’ an initiative to supply safe drinking water at a cost of Rs. 43,791 crores. The Union government declared Telangana a fluorosis-free state in 2020. No new fluorosis victims have been reported in the last five years in Telangana.
