Khemkaran Sector (Punjab), Mar 5: Fluorosis arising from excessive fluoride content in water cripples villagers and causes severe deformities in Punjab.

Besides being affected by deformed limbs, villagers also suffer from cataract, and premature ageing.

"The villagers are facing a host of health problems due to the hard water. Knees are severely deformed, eyesight turns weak and teeth have started falling and that too at a young age. We don't want anything from politicians, only safe and pure drinking water," said Simranjit Kaur, a resident.

The concentration of fluoride in water in the Khemkaran sector is much higher than the permissible levels prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"Teeth are seriously discoloured due to excess fluoride in the drinking water. They turn weak because of the excess fluoride which is normally more than the permissible levels prescribed by the WHO as 1 PPM (Parts Per Million)", said Dr. Parminder Singh, a dentist at local hospital.

Fluorosis is a condition caused by the excessive intake of fluorine and is commonly of two types - Skeletal Fluorosis and Dental Fluorosis.

As the names suggest, it first affects the bones due to excessive accumulation of fluoride in bones and the latter affects the teeth. (ANI)