Nabarangpur,20th Sept 2025: In Nabarangpur district, farmers are using chemical fertilizers in quantities far exceeding the recommended limits—especially in crops like maize—leading to a surge in non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Currently, 3,61,960 people in the district are suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, and various forms of cancer, which accounts for 26Percent of the total district population. The rising number of such patients each year has become a matter of concern for the Health Department.
According to 2024–25 data, these figures include:
46,627 patients with high blood pressure
46,439 patients with diabetes
190 patients with oral cancer
64 patients with breast cancer
39 patients with cervical cancer
All these patients are being provided free medication, according to CDMO Dr. Santosh Panda.
However, the number of affected people continues to grow daily. In response, under the National Non-Communicable Disease Program (NNCDP) for 2025–26, the district health department aims to screen 5,30,136 individuals above the age of 30 for high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancers (oral, breast, and cervical).
Due to lack of adequate treatment facilities at the district hospital, many patients are being forced to seek treatment in Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, and even Mumbai.
Chemical Farming and Groundwater Depletion Linked
Excessive chemical fertilizer usage—estimated at 208% of the recommended amount—has not only degraded soil fertility but also contributed to a sharp decline in groundwater levels, partly due to the replacement of traditional crops with eucalyptus plantations.
Additionally, nutrient content in staple foods like rice and vegetables has significantly dropped, resulting in poor nutrition and increasing health vulnerabilities. As a result, more people are falling sick each day.
Amidst growing panic over the spread of NCDs, Minister Nityananda Gond and MP Eng. Balabhadra Majhi have instructed the Health Department to take urgent and large-scale preventive action.