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Factory dust puts schoolchildren at risk, say parents
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Gangasandra Primary School pupils in front of a concrete mixer from the factory Apurva Prabhakar
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hildren are developing chest and breathing problems because of dust coming from a factory near their school, say parents. The playground of the government school can no longer be used because of the dust. "The dust that comes from the lorries carrying cement to the factory is so much that the children are not able to use the playground any more," said Mamata, a teacher in the Gangasandra Primary School. So far, more than 20 children have been affected, she said. Parents of the affected chil dren say that the factory is the
cause of their children's ill health. According to Pushpa, a resident, her threemonth-old son had to be rushed to the hospital, as he developed breathing complications because of the dust. “My son cannot even sleep. He keeps coughing,” she says. Dr Adarsh.E, paediatrician, Rajarajeshwari Hospital, said that children are prone to cough, chest congestion and fever due to exposure to dust. Veeresh, manager of the factory said that the factory was set up with a valid license and that there was no violation from their side. Since its construction in the year 2013 in Gangasandra, the KNS factory has been the source of a lot of problems, say residents. Apart from health,
dust from the factory has also affected farming. "Since the time the factory was constructed, I have not been able to grow any crops," says Krishnappa, a farmer. The cement dust settles on the crops, burns them and ultimately destroys them,” he said. Their problems do not end there. “We cannot drink water that comes from the taps as it has some white residue in it,” s a i d Jayamma, a resident of Gangasandra. Though the
Picture By: Parvathi Benu school and the residents complained to the factory owner, Vinod Kumar, about their problems, no action has been taken by the factory to solve the problems. Owing to this, the health and livelihood of the residents continue to suffer, says Krishnappa.
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Children of Gangasandra Government Primary School
Farmer Krishnappa showing the contaminated water
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