{"id":2976,"date":"2015-04-18T15:15:24","date_gmt":"2015-04-18T15:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/?p=2976"},"modified":"2023-09-08T09:12:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T09:12:37","slug":"the-people-of-the-fallout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/","title":{"rendered":"The People Of The Fallout"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n

In Khetolai, the village closest to the Pokhran nuclear test site, cancer is felling people and cattle. No one cares.<\/i>
\nNeha Dixit<\/b><\/p>\n

The army jeeps, the fatigues, the big trucks\u2014these things always fascinated Neeraj,\u201d says Ashok Bishnoi, a school teacher, in Khetolai, the village nearest to Pokhran, Rajasthan, where India has conducted nuclear test explosions. He is speaking of an 11-year-old boy who succumbed to cancer on February 15. \u201cHe wanted to become a soldier,\u201d says Neeraj\u2019s father Ram Ratan. \u201cHe passed away within weeks of a brain tumour being detected at an Ahmedabad hospital. The closest hospital in Pokhran does not have lab facilities to detect that.\u201d This is the third cancer death in the family: Ram Ratan lost his father to blood cancer in 2002 and his grandmother in 2006.<\/p>\n

In Khetolai, death from cancer has become a common occurrence; the connection to the nuclear tests is hard to miss. Neeraj is the fourth to have died in eight months. Nathuram, the village pradhan, says that, since the 1998 nuclear test, five-six villagers have died every year\u2014all taken by cancer. It\u2019s just 5 km from the Khetolai military range in Pokhran city. Located 80 km from the Jaisalmer district headquarters, in the forbidding Thar desert, the site was first used for Operation Smiling Buddha in 1974 and Operation Shakti in 1998 to test a series of nuclear weapons. Since then, it is used as an active military exercise and testing range.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nVajpayee at the blast site<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cAfter the explosions in 1974, we had big craters everywhere,\u201d says Padam Jaani, a retired postmaster. \u201cThe craters are gone, but the cracks are still frequent.\u201d Every house bears cracks, some spreading like spider webs. The army continues to mark its presence with exercises on the range. Every few hours, explosions are heard. \u201cThe sound does not even register in our minds any more,\u201d says Vinod Bishnoi, a gram sahayak.<\/p>\n

The village has a voting population of 2,100, a total population of close to 3,000 and is dominated by the Bishnoi community, Hindu agriculturists who follow the teachings of Guru Jambeshwar, who prophesied that causing harm to the environment, to any living thing, is causing harm to oneself. For centuries, the Bishnois have protected trees and animals and practised vegetarianism. The community is classified under Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Rajasthan, and most families in Khetolai have at least one member in a government job\u2014teaching, in the police or the armed forces, or other jobs. Most Bishnoi households also keep cattle, with women being in charge of them. \u201cOn average, each family owns 10-15 cows,\u201d says Manne Lal, another gram sahayak.<\/p>\n

Inside the house, Neeraj\u2019s mother Nirma Devi sits in the dark mourning with a group of women, wiping her tears with her chunni. \u201cIt\u2019s all because of the nuclear tests,\u201d she wails. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s cancer, sometimes allergy.\u201d The women sitting with her join in. Says Girija Devi, Neeraj\u2019s grand-aunt, wailing, \u201cThis is not the first time this has happened. It has been on since the very first big dhamaaka. No one does anything for us.\u201d In 2002, Girija Devi had lost her daughter, aged 22 years, to cancer.
\nSays Pramila, another aunt of Neeraj, \u201cIn the last few years, lots of women have died of breast cancer. They are shy to speak of the early symptoms, so it goes unaddressed. By the time it is detected, the cancer is in its last stages. Even the families don\u2019t want to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are other signs of the troubles brought upon this village by the two big nuclear explosions that happened nearby. Pramila\u2019s three-year-old daughter, resting in her lap, hasn\u2019t begun to speak yet. \u201cThere are at least 10-15 children in the village who are mute. How is all this happening?\u201d she asks. Nirma\u2019s neighbour Sita Devi starts counting names on her finger, \u201cSai Ram, Raju Ram, Mangi Lal, Ram Lal and who is that…yes, Bangri Ram, Nimba Ram. Meet any of them. All their children are under five and all of them are mute. Some are mentally retarded. We did not have even one such case two decades back.\u201dNirma has two more sons, aged 12 and six years. She\u2019d had a stillborn two years back: the foetus died in the womb at 20 weeks. Says Pramila, \u201cNot just Nirma, there are so many still births and frequent cases of abortion in the village. My cousin also went through one recently.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>
\nAfter-effects?<\/strong>\u00a0Mangi Ram with his son, who cannot speak<\/span><\/div>\n

Even the cattle are affected. The women, who usually take them out for grazing, say there\u2019s no pasture land left. \u201cIn the 1960s, the biggest stretch of pasture land we had was taken over by the army for a testing zone,\u201d says Asha Devi, who is in her seventies. \u201cThey have expanded bit by bit since then. There\u2019s not enough to eat for the cattle and this has affected milk production. And unusual cancers are now a common affliction even for the animals. Cows don\u2019t produce milk from all the glands anymore.\u201d Many cows have gone blind, they even deliver calves that are blind, and some develop rashes that keep worsening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/td>\n\u201cHow can villagers know that the cancer is because of the radiation?\u201d asks Dr N.R. Nayak, the chief medical officer.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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<\/a>Dr R.G. Sharma, then with the Dr S.N. Medical College, Jodhpur, led a study of the region from 1984-88, the findings of which were published in the Indian Journal of Cancer in September 1992. Sharma and his associates found 2,662 new cancer cases; this was 10 years after the first nuclear tests in 1974. The report suggested that \u201ca major cause of bone malignancy is ionising radiation\u201d, but the doctors cautioned that \u201cno correlation should be made with the Pokhran explosion unless further studies are done\u201d. The incidence of leukaemia was \u201c5.2 per cent for men and 4.7 per cent women, compared to the world figures of 3.3 per cent and 2.6 per cent, respectively\u201d. The team then advocated that a detailed study must be taken up to determine the role of the 1974 Pokhran nuclear test in this high incidence of bone cancer and leukaemia in western Rajasthan.<\/p>\n

A report published by the World Health Organisation, GLOBOCAN, in 2012, concluded that there are five lakh deaths due to cancer in India. A rough calculation suggests that one in 2,500 people in India dies because of cancer. In Khetolai, the same calculation suggests that one in 500 people succumbs to cancer, four times the national average. While experts suggests that cancer could have more than one reason\u2014not just high radiation levels because of nuclear tests\u2014the connection between exposure to radiation and cancer is too well-established to be ruled out.<\/p>\n

A response to an RTI filed last year by Chetan Kothari to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under the Department of Atomic Energy revealed in September last year that 70 per cent of the health- related deaths in the atomic energy hubs across the country in the last 20 years were because of cancer. But despite this alarming finding, no further studies were conducted.
\nDr Satyajit Rath of the National Institute of Immunology in Delhi says, \u201cIn principle, it is possible that the proximity of the village to the nuclear testing site may be a cause of these adverse medical events but anecdotal reliability is not enough to establish that these nuclear radiations are the reason for this. These incidents should have been a starting point to generate reliable data to study the extent of impact on health and surroundings in the village.\u201d But in the last 31 years\u2014since the first tests in 1974\u2014the government has not cared to commission a study to find out.<\/p>\n

Kavita Srivastava, an activist with the People\u2019s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) who has worked in Rajasthan for over three decades, says, \u201cThe problem is that all governments have constantly undermined people\u2019s health and shown lack of concern for their economy near the Pokhran region. It is proven by the fact no government has conducted in-depth research to study the impact of radiation on people\u2019s health and on the cattle in so many years.\u201d It is this lack of political will to investigate that many activists like Srivastava find troublesome. Dr N.R. Nayak, the chief medical officer of the district, denies any knowledge of the rise in cancer cases in Pokhran. He says, \u201cWe have no such information about the rise of cancer deaths in the area. It is not true. How can villagers know that the cancer is because of radiation? It is political motivation that makes them say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Villagers are also scared for their farm land. \u201cIn 1974, they gave us Rs 3-4 per bigha. Those who had to give away 500 bighas were given Rs 2,000, which got over in 2-3 years. They assured us that they will give us better land near the canal. Nothing happened. So we are almost landless now,\u201d says a villager. New unconfirmed incidents of land acquisition by the army are being reported again. \u201cRecently, the army has put their signs on four-five agricultural fields, 3-4 bighas each, in Chacha village, in the vicinity of the testing range. The farmers have obtained a stay order from the court and the revenue department is set to measure it again. First, they took away the grazing grounds and now they want the agricultural land. No one answers, no one info\u00adrms,\u201d he says. Prahlad Ram, 70, who retired from the army, complains that leave alone providing proper compensation for the land taken away\u2014or the diseases locals are having to endure\u2014the government hasn\u2019t even opened a decent hospital here. Neeraj had to be taken to Ahme\u00addabad for diagnosis and treatment.<\/p>\n

India is a nuclear power but the people at whose cost it has been possible are not amused. Says Prahlad Ram, who as a former armyman knows the \u2018might\u2019 that nuclear weapons bring a nation, says, \u201cThe nuclear weapons have projected the country as a powerful nation globally. Very good. But what we want to know is why are they choosing our villages again and again for the nation\u2019s development. At the cost of our health, lives and livelihood! Why can\u2019t they leave us alone? Is there no other land left in the country for development?\u201d<\/p>\n

Published by Outlook Magazine on April 18, 2015
\nLink:\u00a0http:\/\/www.outlookindia.com\/article\/The-People-Of-The-Fallout\/294065<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Khetolai, the village closest to the Pokhran nuclear test site, cancer is felling people and cattle. No one cares. Neha Dixit The army jeeps, the fatigues, the big trucks\u2014these things always fascinated Neeraj,\u201d says Ashok Bishnoi, a school teacher, in Khetolai, the village nearest to Pokhran, Rajasthan, where India has conducted nuclear test explosions.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[103,118],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe People Of The Fallout - Neha Dixit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The People Of The Fallout - Neha Dixit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Khetolai, the village closest to the Pokhran nuclear test site, cancer is felling people and cattle. No one cares. Neha Dixit The army jeeps, the fatigues, the big trucks\u2014these things always fascinated Neeraj,\u201d says Ashok Bishnoi, a school teacher, in Khetolai, the village nearest to Pokhran, Rajasthan, where India has conducted nuclear test explosions.…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Neha Dixit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-18T15:15:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-08T09:12:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20150225_130354.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Neha Dixit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Neha Dixit\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/\",\"name\":\"The People Of The Fallout - Neha Dixit\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20150225_130354.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-18T15:15:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-08T09:12:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/#\/schema\/person\/38a566691e2400041fc249e59b72b440\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20150225_130354.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20150225_130354.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The People Of The Fallout\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/\",\"name\":\"Neha Dixit\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/#\/schema\/person\/38a566691e2400041fc249e59b72b440\",\"name\":\"Neha Dixit\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e90d20233206c32038264cbf59d8c76a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e90d20233206c32038264cbf59d8c76a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Neha Dixit\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/author\/nehadixit\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The People Of The Fallout - Neha Dixit","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nehadixit.in\/the-people-of-the-fallout\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The People Of The Fallout - Neha Dixit","og_description":"In Khetolai, the village closest to the Pokhran nuclear test site, cancer is felling people and cattle. 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