Kerala has the highest incidence and prevalence of cancer in Bharat. Within Kerala, Kuttanad Taluk has the highest number of cancer cases. Poor people in Kuttanad are reeling from an epidemic of cancer and other environmental problems. The primary reason is polluted groundwater from agricultural pesticides, houseboat tourism and toxic effluents washed downstream Pampa River.

According to media reports, the specter of cancer is gripping Kuttanad, a water-logged rice bowl in central Kerala that is home to about 1.8 million people and where roughly 15,000 tons of chemical fertilizers, 500 tons of insecticides and 50 tons of fungicides are dumped annually at a cost of about Rs 6 crores. Groundwater in this area is permanently toxic with terrible consequences.

Here are some news coverages on this epidemic:

• Rise in cancer cases a cause for concern – TheHindu
• Kuttanad cancer spread linked to chemicals? -Mint
• Survey on high incidence of cancer in Kuttanad – Times of India

The majority of the victims of this environmental disaster are Hindus who simply have no money to pay for commercially available drinking water. Primary reason is that most Hindus are below the poverty line unlike people from other faiths. Hindus can’t afford to buy commercial bottled water from stores at INR 20/liter. Everyone knows that the ground water is heavily contaminated and leads to cancer and birth defects. But there is not enough money for them to buy and drink clean water.

Local Churches took a proactive approach 15-20 years ago and built commercial-sized RO(Reverse Osmosis) filters in every major church in the area. On the other hand, Hindus were left alone in the fight against this environmental menace and thus, gradually, Hindus became the primary victims of this disaster. Many Hindu families converted just to protect their children’s health, just to get clean drinking and cooking water. Such has been the state of affairs in the state of Kerala.

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) is a measure of water quality. A score between 50 and 150 is ideal. Up to 250 is acceptable. Above 400 is unacceptable. Above 1000 is definitely harmful. We tested water from a tubewell in a colony(slum) in Kuttanad. This is a water source provided by the government for which the public has to pay. TDS score was above 1400. Even the so-called purified water being sold locally by private companies had a score of 480!

The Solution – Reverse Osmosis Filters

The only immediate and effective solution is to establish commercial-grade Reverse Osmosis (RO) filters which can provide water with a TDS score of 50-100 to the community in the cancer affected belt. A decision was made to make it happen and towards this goal, Hindu Seva Kendram (HSK), a grassroots level charity has been tirelessly working to successfully establish several RO filters in Kuttanad.
One Reverse Osmosis filter costs between Rs 6.5 Lakh to 8 Lakh Rupees depending on the area and cost of labor and materials and serves at least over twenty-five hundred people who now can have access to safe drinking water for their families.

This is truly a “Punya Karma”.

Dharmansh USA Partnered with HSK to Install RO in Kainakary Panchayat

Team Dharmansh USA decided to expedite the process of saving our surviving brothers and sisters in Kuttanad Taluk and partnered with the HSK team to install a brand-new RO filter that will serve over 2500 people in Kainakary Panchayat.

This will be the sixth filter plant done in the area. The project will be completed in a few weeks and we will furnish more details, the impact of the project, testimonials, pictures and videos of the launch as we get this project completed and inaugurated. Right now, this project is in progress.

Gratitude to Hindu Samaj

With a deep sense of gratitude and confidence, team Dharmansh USA and Hindu Seva Kendram would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Dharmansh USA donors and supporters for your tremendous support which enabled us to undertake this project and help the Hindu Samaj reeling from this epidemic when nobody else is doing anything about it.

We have named this project “Pampa Theertham” (പമ്പാ തീർത്ഥം), paying tribute to Mother Pampa River, which originates in the mountains of Sabarimala and has nourished and protected Kuttanad and its people for millennia.

This is a major step forward towards our goal of uplifting those of us who have been left behind. This project will bring clean drinking water to at least 2500 people. We are confident that HSK will eventually cover all of Kuttanad Taluk with similar projects.

Again, we want to thank all of our donors for their steadfast commitment to Dharma.

Together, we’re showing to the wider world that Hindus are indeed a compassionate people and are willing to help our unfortunate fellow Sanatanis in distress.

This story will not end here. Dharmansh USA is committed to working tirelessly until the last Hindu is freed from poverty and ignorance.

NO HINDU LEFT BEHIND!
💧💧💧