PANJIM: Doctors fear that the garbage dumped in the open at Patto could even lead to a plague epidemic, but the more common health effects area water borne diseases, respiratory problems and allergy.
“Since a large amount of the waste is wet, there is a possibility that the acidic contents it leaks could seep into the ground water table and contaminate the water. Besides, there could be an outbreak of rodent-borne or bird-borne diseases as the garbage would attract rats and other reptiles,” Dr Rufino Monteiro said.
The ill-effects of the garbage stink have been such that in 2008 some students and teachers in Peoples’ High School and nearby areas vomited and fell unconscious, as they could not breathe.
Arguing that garbage problem is an international problem, Dr Shekhar Salkar said students could be more vulnerable to allergy and diarrhoea.
“There is a long list of diseases caused due to garbage, especially when it is left uncovered. It results in diarrhoea and even allergy, particularly among students who are exposed to the stench for a long time,” he said.
Dr Monteiro added that nausea and distaste of food are other common symptoms due to the garbage problem. Both the doctors have seen a number of such cases, a deeper study of which has revealed these were because their patients were exposed to the smell.
“The government should solve the menace soon. We are sitting on a time bomb,” Dr Salkar said.
