Concern over rising kidney diseases in Gubidipalli

Gubidipalli village of Bhimpurmandal of Adilabad district is apparently the Telangana’s answer to Uddanam of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, where several died due to kidney failure.
Gubidipalli accounts for death of six persons during the past two years. The villagers were confused over what could be the reason for spreading of kidney disease in the village. In fact, several villagers have been suffering from kidney diseases.
The village has 100 families with a total population of over 300. Most of the villagers are engaged in agriculture and work as either farmers or agriculture workers.
The villagers are worried over the causes for the spread of the disease. Was it due to food habits or drinking water contamination? Was it due to other causes?  The residents of the village draw their drinking water from a nearby borewell. The government officials subjected the borewell water to various tests and found the water to be clean and safe.
The villagers say that the kidney disease claimed the lives of Todasa Dada Rao, Gangamma, Ramanna, D Istari, Devamma and Lalita. Many more have been suffering from the disease.
Asamma and Bhumanna– residents of the village – daily visit RIMS to get dialysis done.  The patients requiring to visit the RIMS hospital in Adilabad would have to pay Rs 500 towards autorickshaw fare daily as the road is not motorable.
The villagers appeal to the medical and health authorities to organise a special health camp in the village to ascertain the causes for the kidney diseases rampant in the village.
Bhimpurmandal medical officer Dr Nikhil Raj has said that the kidney disease playing havoc with the people of Gubidipalli came to his notice. A special medical camp will be conducted in the village to ascertain the causes for the kidney disease. The cause for the disease can be identified by close observation of food habits and subjecting the water samples from the village to laboratory examination, he said.