A picture of contrast: Allehpur block scores both high and low in rural sanitation

While women workers strive to keep Tibri village spic and span, there are other places like Ditanpur where garbage mounds and foul smell are the order of the dayDhampur, Uttar Pradesh: Sitting in the middle of a mound of garbage, Hanso Devi (38) is sorting dry waste from wet waste. There is an overpowering smell of decomposing waste, but Hanso’s hands are working tirelessly. “This is where my money is,” she says wryly.  “We will earn by selling iron and plastic items in the waste people throw away. The panchayat secretary will pay us at the end of the month,” she says.  Hanso is among the seven women hired by the panchayat office of Tibri village in Allehpur (Dhampur) block of Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district to maintain manure and compost pits as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G), panchayat secretary Himanshu Chauhan tells 101Reporters.“They segregate waste and play a crucial part in maintaining cleanliness in the village. They sell to scrap dealer whatever scrap metal or plastic they find in the garbage. These women receive 60% of the proceeds from selling reclaimed metal items, while the remaining 40% is deposited in the panchayat’s account,” Chauhan details.The condition of the roads in the village (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)A plus pointWaste disposal initiatives were launched in the villages included in the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus scheme launched last year. “In the first phase of the scheme, 49 of the 1,124 panchayats in Bijnor districts were selected, including Dhampur and Tibri in Allehpur block,” Allehpur’s Assistant Development Officer Naseem Ahmed tells 101Reporters.Naseem says the first phase (2022-23) of ODF Plus scheme covered gram panchayats with a population of over 5,000. In the second phase, 84 villages in the block are slated for inclusion. Chauhan informs that the Uttar Pradesh government designated a 15 x 8 m sq plot of land provided by the revenue department and located within the village for the initiative. “A budget of Rs 13,82,000 was sanctioned for various activities. The allocated land now hosts a waste disposal centre comprising nine sections, facilitating segregation of various types of waste such as glass, cardboard, plastic, iron and more.”Vegetables and fruit peels are composted at the community compost pit set up on this land. Other wet waste gets buried in the ground.According to Chauhan, every woman is estimated to get Rs 5,000 to 6,500 after the sale of scrap. “When I heard about this job, I signed up as my husband’s income is not sufficient to meet our household expenses. This work helps in managing our household expenses,” says Rajwati Devi (42), one of the seven women workers. A garbage dump site in Ditanpur village (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)Holistic approach The commencement of ODF Plus scheme marks a holistic approach to cleanliness. This includes diverse initiatives such as door-to-door garbage collection, setting up of garbage disposal centres and establishment of manure and compost pits. Traditionally, each village appoints a sanitation worker responsible for upholding cleanliness. “Additional workers can be enlisted with the approval of the village head and panchayat secretary in villages with large populations, if the sanitation worker finds it challenging to handle the workload alone,” Naseem says.Under ODF Plus, the number of sanitation workers is higher. "This is because they not only collect garbage from every household, but also play a crucial role in segregating dry and wet waste,” he adds.According to Ditanpur village head Nafees Ahmed, three sanitation workers cater to a population of 5,000 in his village. “Considering the presence of two gram panchayats in my area and its considerable geographical expanse, the number of sanitation workers is more. They work from 7 am to 2 pm during summers and from 8 am to 3 pm in winters,” Nafees says.Talking about the expenditure, Nafees explains, "A designated percentage of the funds allocated for developmental projects in the village is specifically earmarked for the cleanliness system. Over a five-year period, our gram panchayat covering Jeetanpur and Alawalpur has been granted approximately Rs 1 crore. As a result, an annual allocation of about Rs 6 lakh is directed towards cleanliness in our gram panchayat."In contrast, Anil Kumar, a former Assistant Development Officer, observes that the standard annual development budget for a gram panchayat falls within the range of Rs 20 to 25 lakh. Typically, 30% of the amount is designated for cleanliness, with specific allocations varying among different villages.Panchayat officials having a discussion in Tibri village (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)RoadblocksThough on the right track, SBM-G faces several roadblocks ahead. A part of Allehpur block manages its waste under ODF Plus scheme, while the other areas still grapple with the problem of garbage accumulation along the highways.According to Monu Kumar, a resident of Ditanpur, the garbage crisis in his village is only increasing. “I am deeply troubled by this garbage pile. Villagers dispose of their household waste here, making it unbearable to stay indoors due to the foul smell. Recently, we found a snake in our house, which might have landed here from the garbage heap. Despite multiple complaints to the authorities, no action has been taken."Continuing along the same route, approximately 200 m away, another sizeable garbage mound poses a potential health hazard near a settlement. While the authorities say lime and pesticides are regularly sprayed in such areas, doctors argue that the accumulation of waste encourages breeding of mosquitoes and other insects, which are carriers of diseases.“The presence of garbage and filth poses a significant risk of cholera, jaundice and other potentially life-threatening illnesses,” says BK Snehi, in-charge medical officer, Seohara Community Health Centre. Allehpur Block Development Officer Trilokchand tells 101Reporters that the initiatives to establish garbage disposal centres are going on in different villages. “Comprehensive efforts are being made to address this issue promptly. When complaints about garbage heaps are received, additional cleaning staff are deployed and measures are implemented to ensure cleanliness," he claims.Edited by Tanya ShrivastavaCover Photo - Woman worker striving to keep the village clean (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)

No doctors, equipment: Dhampur CHC in Bijnor district is almost a referral centre now

Emergency cases transferred to district hospital as six out of the seven medical posts remain vacant in the community health centre Dhampur, Uttar Pradesh: When Shakeel Ahmad (52) of Sherkot in Bijnor district felt chest pain over two years ago, his family rushed him to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Dhampur, located almost eight km away. “There was no one in the hospital. So we decided to take him to Moradabad, located 50 km away. But he died on the way,” said Shakeel’s brother Vakil Ahmad.Sharad Kumar (46) died in the same manner in 2017. “He suddenly got a chest pain, and his body started convulsing. Even though Dhampur CHC was nearby, I had to take him to a private hospital,” said Sharad's neighbour Manoj Kumar, a resident of Teachers’ Colony in Dhampur.Manoj claimed that Sharad died due to lack of timely medical attention. “Had there been a cardiologist in the government hospital, we would have got medical attention sooner, and maybe his life could have been saved,” he said.Bijnor Additional Chief Medical Officer Dr PK Gupta told 101Reporters that Haldaur, Chandpur, Anku, Dhampur (Allahpur), Afzalgarh, Budhanpur Seohara, Najibabad and Nagina blocks have 11 CHCs, each catering to a population of over one lakh.However, inadequate facilities have always been an issue everywhere. “There are many problems in Dhampur CHC. Some doctors prescribe medicines that are only available in private medical stores. There is a shortage of doctors and lack of facilities as well. We had staged a demonstration to bring the matter to the attention of the authorities,” said farmer leader Dushyant Kumar Rana, a resident of Jaitra village in Dhampur.Duty chart at community health centre (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)Key posts vacantDhampur CHC Superintendent Dr Manas Chauhan told 101Reporters that as per rules, there should be seven doctors, including an in-charge medical officer, an orthopaedic surgeon, a general surgeon, an anaesthetist, an ENT specialist, a skin specialist and a pathologist, in the CHC. “If you do not take contract workers into account, I am the only one posted here. One doctor was transferred recently, while another retired,” he said.According to him, 200 to 250 patients visit Dhampur CHC every day. “There is an operation theatre here. If there are doctors, operations can be done. As of now, serious cases are referred to district hospitals,” he said.There are vacancies at Nagina CHC as well. “We have only three doctors posted here. We need at least a child specialist and a gynaecologist, but we do not have any of them,” said Nagina CHC in-charge medical officer Dr Naveen Chauhan. According to the doctors, the CHCs in the district see two to four emergency cases a day. “We refer two to three patients to the district hospital every day. Ahead of the referral, we give the best primary treatment we can, given the facilities we have, but there is always a risk as patients need to be transferred over long distances to other centres within a short time,” Dr Naveen said. “In emergency situations, say head or internal injuries, we need specialist doctors and medical equipment like CT scan, ultrasound and X-ray machines. But in our health centre, even accessing an X-ray film is difficult,” Seohara Main CHC in-charge Dr Vishal Divankar told 101Reporters.The population residing in these blocks is mostly rural. “Women and child health is a major concern due to lack of awareness. To compound this, most CHCs are running without gynaecologists and child specialists,” Divankar added.According to Dr Naveen, the CHCs are trying to provide services of a gynaecologist by contracting it to other doctors. “A doctor has been assigned the responsibility to see women patients at Nagina. We still need a child specialist, but have not been able to find a suitable person,” he said.Queue of people for the check-up at CHC Dhampur (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)What the officials sayBijnor Chief Medical Officer Dr Vijay Kumar Goyal admitted that there was a shortage of doctors in the entire district. “Dhampur CHC has only one doctor, while two doctors are posted at the Trauma Centre located in Nagina Road area of Dhampur," Dr Goyal told 101Reporters.According to senior officials, fresh medical graduates from state-run institutions opt out of the compulsory rural service by paying the bond amount, which further exacerbates the shortage of doctors.  “We do inform the top officials about the shortage of doctors and we try to get recruits from government colleges. The new generation of doctors, however, is not much interested in rendering their services to rural government hospitals,” said Dr Gupta.Dr Manas said doctors also have to do administrative work in government hospitals. “The youth may feel that the salary is less and this may be the reason for the low number of new recruits in the CHCs,” he said.District Panchayat member Vivek Sen said he has raised the issue of shortage of doctors with the higher officials multiple times. “These hospitals have become referral centres. I do not understand how such a large population is being treated in a hospital with no facilities. A few months ago, I attended a district planning meeting, where I raised this problem in the presence of top officials,” he said. Edited by Tanya ShrivastavaCover Photo - Community Health Centre in Dhampur (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)

Floods hit Bijnor early this year, compounding annual misery

The heavy downpour in July brought in unseasonal floods, destroying newly sown crops and setting back farmers financially by several years  Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh: Every year, Dhan Prakash (50) of Naya Gaon in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district plants sugarcane on his half-acre farm. And every year, he steels himself to sacrifice a portion of his crops to the flooding of Khoh river. But this year, erratic rains have pushed up the timetable of the floods, and his losses. Left with no alternative, the father of five borrowed money from his relatives and friends to purchase an e-rickshaw. He takes passengers around nearby towns and earns about Rs 150-200 per day.  Khoh, a tributary of Ramganga river, originates in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand and enters Uttar Pradesh through Bijnor. Every year, towards the end of August, the engorged river rages through several villages here, leaving behind ravaged crops in its wake. By this time the crops are already standing and a few weeks shy of harvest. Marginal farmers like Prakash usually lose up to a third of their produce and in the absence of any insurance, have to rely on the meagre compensation offered by the government.Khoh river cutting in the village of Dhampur tehsil despite the wooden studs (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)This year, however, Prakash has lost his entire crop. After spending around Rs 15,000 to prepare the field, he watched helplessly as the heavy downpour in July and ensuing high-intensity floods washed away the saplings. Farmers get local weather updates from newspapers and radio and youth who have access to smartphones rely on farmers' groups for information. But none of these are helpful in the case of sudden cloudbursts in neighbouring states that quickly come gushing down to the plains. “The situation is very unpredictable. When we have a good harvest, we save over Rs 20,000 per acre every year, but this time the situation is dire,” he adds. “We will have to wait and see how much compensation the government decides to give," says Dhan Prakash.Roads and fields in Dhampur damaged due to floods (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)Washing away developmentThis is the story of many families in the district who are continually being pushed to the brink by these annual floods. The villages under the Dhampur sub-division including Nagla Natha Ba, Nathadoi, Mandora, Naya Gaon and Dhurada have seen their progress stunted by the flooding. The lament is the loudest when it comes to education. They are unable to meet their children's needs and support their higher education, they say. Even when young people get admitted to good colleges outside the village, they often have to give up their studies as the unsteady family income doesn’t allow them to survive in a big city. The flood-affected villages lose connectivity from the neighbouring cities, with waterlogged roads that stay under two to three feet of water for days, making it impossible to navigate. Schools shut down and roads get washed away, impacting education and disrupting the supply chain.“Children are unable to go to school and many problems arise in case of medical emergencies when people are unable to get to hospitals. Some villagers work in the cities and if the floods strike while they are away, sometimes they get stuck there for days on end, with the duration of water logging varies depending upon the intensity of the rains,” says former sarpanch of Nagla Natha Ba, Salim Ahmed.Amit Kumar (38), a farmer from Naya Gaon says this region is known for its sugarcane field and the cash crop fetches them a good sum when sold to the sugar mills. The various Kisaan Samithis here (farmer unions) have streamlined the process, ensuring fair and timely payment and preventing the exploitation of farmers.“In a good year, we can grow around 50 quintals of sugarcane in one bigha of land. The crop can fetch my family upward of Rs 1 lakh per harvest. But most of the time, we have to face losses as my farm lies on the bank and the crop retains water after flooding compromising its quality. In such a situation we barely make half the standard price, hardly enough to make ends meet,” he says.He adds that floods are the reason behind abject poverty in the region as they stall all development activities and projects in the area. “Farming is the only source of income here and if we keep bearing these losses every year, how can we prosper? When there is barely any money for food, how can we meet other necessities like education and a standard of living?” he asks.Pawan Kumar, the Sarpanch of Nagaon village in Dhampur district’s Sherkot, says, “I have been witnessing the same situation since childhood. There are around 10,000 people in these flood-affected villages of Sherkot who are dependent on the land for agriculture and sustenance. Their farms lie on the river bank and they get submerged as the river overflows. This affects all the crops from sugarcane to wheat, legumes and pulses. Even paddy, which needs a lot of water gets affected as the saplings drown or get washed off."Officials from the Irrigation department and district administration come to take stock of the situation every year and promise to build embankments but apart from a few small efforts, permanent solutions do not materialise,” he adds.An embankment built in Sherkot to prevent erosion (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)Flood planning in limboTo make matters worse, farms in Bijnor lose fertility after the floods which affects the crops sown later in the year.  Rajpal Singh, former agriculture sub-divisional officer of Dhampur, explains, “Rivers coming from the mountains have a lot of sand. After the water current washes off the topsoil, this sand from the river settles in the fields. It is devoid of nutrients and affects the quality of the crops.”The lack of concrete steps like the building of embankments, allows floods to recur, sometimes with increasing severity. The Sub-divisional Magistrate acts as the Flood Control Officer and supervises 'baadh chaukiyan' or flood posts from where officials from the irrigation department, local administration and village heads monitor water levels and sound alerts. These measures are, however, sufficient to prevent the loss of lives but not that of crops and land.Manoj Kumar, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Bijnor who was stationed in Dhampur until July this year, told 101Reporters that the department makes all possible efforts to minimise losses and works in tandem with the Irrigation Department but they need to undertake a big project to make a permanent embankment of stone studs to avert the crisis permanently.Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), an informal network of organisations and individuals working on issues related to water, says that since the Khoh River changes its course every year or so, there is a need for a detailed study to identify the reasons for this before undertaking flood-prevention measures. Meanwhile, Pawan Kumar says that hundreds of acres of land have been submerged by the changing river and many farmers have become landless. "When the course changes again and the land emerges back, they have to reclaim it by demarcating the boundaries with the help of the local revenue officers. But this is futile as the fields may get submerged again. Those who still have land, live a hellish life as they have to bear heavy losses from the damage to standing crops. The administration should construct a stone embankment for about four to five km along the river bank.”Executive engineer of Afzalgarh Irrigation Division, Rakesh Kumar, says that the department makes efforts to prevent soil erosion before the monsoons by making temporary wooden studs on the banks but the heavy currents are still strong enough to damage the crops. These measures are just put in place to minimise the damage.He adds that while plans worth lakhs of rupees are approved by the government to prevent floods in these areas many projects essentially fail even though they manage to save villagers from major losses of life and property. This year the irrigation department received around Rs 60 lakhs but the amount varies every year. This is not sufficient to undertake permanent measures.“We need to make permanent embankments with stones fastened together with a wire mesh as a permanent solution but it is a costly affair and it takes long for such projects to be authorised. We have conveyed this to the higher-ups in the department and hopefully, it will materialise soon,” says Rakesh Kumar.Edited by Shuchita JhaCover photo - Employees of the Irrigation Department filing the approach road of flood-affected villages in Sherkot (Photo - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)

Leopard imprints fear in Mussepur residents, holes up children in homes

Located close to Amangarh Tiger Reserve, the village recently witnessed the mauling to death of a five-year-old childDhampur, Bijnor: “The sun was about to set. I was sitting in the courtyard of the house and my mother-in-law was making bread at the chulha (stove). Everything was quiet until I saw this huge creature emerge, carrying my daughter in its mouth. It vanished within split seconds. Even her voice did not come out. We later found her body in the bushes.”Manisha Devi of Mussepur in Dhampur tehsil of Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district shudders as she describes the dreadful day (April 25) a leopard mauled her daughter Yashi (5) to death. Yashi was playing with her two-and-a-half-year-old brother Garv Kumar, when the incident occurred. Mussepur lies adjacent to Amangarh Tiger Reserve. Four to five houses, including that of Manisha’s family, are built a little apart from the village and closer to the forest. Though they were aware of the attacks by predators in other places, they went about with their lives as usual as such a thing had never been reported here.“We have been living here for decades, but such an incident has never occurred before. All this happened in front of my eyes, but how could I save her? From that day, my son is also in fear," says Manisha.“On that day, I had gone to the market located around four km away to sell vegetables. Now the situation is such that unemployment will kill you if you stay indoors, and animals will kill you if you venture out," laments Yashi’s father Tekchand.  Belonging to the Saini caste (traditionally farmers), Tekchand’s ancestors have lived on their private property for the last many generations. The tiger reserve was established much later, in 2012. Though they own only a few bighas, the family is dependent on vegetable cultivation on that land. “My father-in-law has been into farming for a long time. We are concerned about our safety, but our work is here. We cannot leave this place," says Manisha.(Above) Yashi's home is among the four to five houses built a little apart from the village and closer to the forest; (below) Yashi and her bicycle (Photos - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters) Asked if he had received any compensation, Tekchand says, “The forest staff processed some papers, but nothing can compensate for my daughter. We have to wait and see when we will receive that money. For the time being, catching the leopard is of utmost necessity.” Meanwhile, retired forest ranger Pratap Singh Saini of Dhampur informs that there is a rule to provide a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to those who die in a leopard or tiger attack outside the forest area.Armed with sticks, always After Yashi's death, a lot has changed in the lives of Tekchand and those in the neighbourhood. During the day, when Manisha leaves home for agricultural activities, her mother-in-law sits with Kumar as he plays in a room behind the thatched courtyard.It is quite dark inside. But after losing their daughter, the family does not want to take any chances. Soon after the incident, they covered the open courtyard with black foil to keep animals at bay.“Yashi and my son Naitik used to go to school together. They studied in the same class. After the tragic incident, we ensure that a family member always accompanies him to the school, armed with a stick in hand. This summer vacation, children stayed indoors. Forget children, even teenagers were ‘imprisoned’ in their homes before dusk,” regrets Shanti Devi, a relative.Another relative has four teenage daughters. Her husband goes out for work. "Our farm is located slightly away from the house. We go together and take sticks with us. Two of my daughters stand guard, as the other two and I engage in farm work,” she says.From left to right: Grieving mother, Manisha Devi; her younger child, Garv Kumar; Shanti Devi; her son and Yashi's playmate, Naitik (Photos - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)Seven deaths so far Situated on the Haridwar-Kashipur National Highway, Mussepur has a population of above 1,000. According to Dhampur forest ranger Govind Ram, leopards have mauled seven persons to death so far this year. Three children, two women and two men have lost their lives in different attacks in the district between February 12 and April 28.Spread over an area of ​​about 80 km, Bijnor district comprises Dhampur, Najibabad, Nagina, Bijnor and Chandpur tehsils. Of them, leopard attacks have been increasing in the first three tehsils. These areas lie adjacent to the border with Uttarakhand and close to Corbett and Amangarh tiger reserves.“Seven people have been killed, and it seems different leopards are involved. We have installed over eight cages to catch them,” says Mahesh Gautam, Forest Officer, Amangarh Tiger Reserve.Bijnor District Forest Officer AK Singh tells 101Reporters that veterinary doctors and tranquillizing teams have been deployed to capture the leopards. “We think around 60 of them are present in the affected areas. We have captured 10 and have released them deep inside the forest."Mahesh Gautam, Forest Officer, Amangarh Tiger Reserve says there are several reasons a leopard might attack humans; They are investigating what happened in this case but the first priority is to trap the animal and release it deeper into the reserve (Photos - Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters)Conflicts involving elephants and tigers are also common in this area. Asked why leopard attacks were increasing, Gautam says, "The possibility of a leopard turning into an attacker increases in one of these three circumstances — in old age, in case the canine tooth is broken and during its fertilisation period. We are investigating the reason behind the attack in Mussepur. We will find out if the animal has an injury in its mouth or a broken tooth. But the first priority is to catch the beast."Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover photo by Shahbaz Anwar, 101Reporters