Dengue Cases Also On The Rise In The Region With three more children dying in the last two days, the number of malnutrition related deaths in Attappadi became 33 this year. A five-day-old infant from Annavayai and a one-monthold infant from Naikarpadi village died two days ago. An eight year old girl, Bhavani from Palur village succumbed to fever, as the health authorities were not able to take her on time from Attapadi to Kozhikode medical college. Health workers said that a majority of the schemes announced by the government were still on paper. The tribal specialty hospital at Attapadi is yet to get a drinking water connection. The state has not set up the proposed mother care centre, which would have provided the new born infants the required medical care in case of an emergency. “The nodal officers who were appointed to co-oridinate various welfare activities are not working as a single unit,” said Rajendra Prasad, president of Tampu, an NGO working amongst tribal people in the area. Health workers said that there has been a rise in the number of dengue cases in the last two weeks. So far around Rs 25 crore have been spent in laying pipelines and setting up water tanks in the villages, but till date a majority of the villages have been cut off from access to drinking water supply. “Many villagers in Sholayur panchayat are using water from puddles around leaking main pipelines. Drinking this could lead to waterborne disease like typhoid, jaundice and diarrhoea,” Prasad said. Tribal activists said that the situation remains the same even in public health centres, anganwadis and integrated child development service centers (ICDS), since none of these institutions have access to clean drinking water. “The Siruvani River has become polluted as resort owners have been dumping waste into the river. Also, lack of adequate toilet facilities for the tribal people aggravate the problem,” Prasad pointed out. The state recently drafted a comprehensive nutrition policy that aims at including nutritious food like ragi as part of the diet for pregnant and adolescent women. “But these measures need to be implemented urgently or more deaths will follow,” Prasad said.