Ongole, Sept. 2: Lakhs of villages in India wrestle with health problems because of lack of potable water. But in 21 villages of Prakasam district, it is potable water which is the villain. Water with high fluoride content is turning out to be a slow poison for people in these villages. Mr Ravindra Reddy, 50, of Tummedalapadu village, about 100 km from Ongole, is one of the victims of the noxious water. He suffers from muscular contractions and joint pains and has been bedridden for 10 years. When he sleeps, his legs are tied to the bed since otherwise they will jerk back automatically. There are several others in the village who also suffer from joint pains, numbness and yellowing of teeth, all symptoms of skeletal and dental fluorosis. There are hundreds of others with similar symptoms in Kanigiri, Kandukur, Chimakurthi, Podili, Santhanutalapadu and another 20 villages in the area. Nowadays, people are aware that these are the ill-effects of water taken from heir bore wells but they can do nothing about it. They have no choice but to drink the water. A team from the Nizam