03-14-2008, 07:57 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-01-2009, 01:59 PM by Capt M Kumar.)
<!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo--> Indiaâs star rowers train on stinking drain
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.as...umentid=1288941
New Delhi: India won two silvers and a bronze in rowing at the 2006 Doha Asian Games and there is hope that the sport will be a major medal grosser in the years ahead.
But if you happen to drop in to watch some of Indiaâs present and future train at the Chhawla drain (commonly known as the Najafgarh naala), it not only isnât inspiring, it will probably make you want to throw up. Literally.
On Thursday, 30-odd rowers, most national level, from the Rajputana Rifles, did what they do for six to eight months of the year: Braving a constant, terrible stench, they trained surrounded by floating sludge and rubbish â lots of it potentially toxic given that effluents from across the Capital flows into this naala â to prepare for the National and Inter-Services championships.
âWe used to feel very sick earlier⦠even wear masks at times, but now we have got used to it,â one of the rowers told HT, asking not to be named. âDuring summers though, itâs hellish with all the decomposing sewage, so while we have to train in some part of the summer, we try and do most of the training during the rainy season when the drain fills up.â
Doctors were horrified when asked about the health risks of training in a naala. âThe rowers will be susceptible to countless bacterial and viral infections,â said Dr. Sushum Sharma, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine and HoD, the Preventive Health Programme at Max Healthcare.
âThe water will be full of toxins, possibly some industrial waste too as we really donât have any foolproof preventive mechanisms in place in India. There could be lead toxicity, arsenic poisoning⦠even if the men arenât in the water itself, they could be splashed from the oars. You would have skin infections, inhale toxins, if something goes into the eye, nose or mouth, it could lead to anything from eye infections to intestinal infections.â
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.as...umentid=1288941
New Delhi: India won two silvers and a bronze in rowing at the 2006 Doha Asian Games and there is hope that the sport will be a major medal grosser in the years ahead.
But if you happen to drop in to watch some of Indiaâs present and future train at the Chhawla drain (commonly known as the Najafgarh naala), it not only isnât inspiring, it will probably make you want to throw up. Literally.
On Thursday, 30-odd rowers, most national level, from the Rajputana Rifles, did what they do for six to eight months of the year: Braving a constant, terrible stench, they trained surrounded by floating sludge and rubbish â lots of it potentially toxic given that effluents from across the Capital flows into this naala â to prepare for the National and Inter-Services championships.
âWe used to feel very sick earlier⦠even wear masks at times, but now we have got used to it,â one of the rowers told HT, asking not to be named. âDuring summers though, itâs hellish with all the decomposing sewage, so while we have to train in some part of the summer, we try and do most of the training during the rainy season when the drain fills up.â
Doctors were horrified when asked about the health risks of training in a naala. âThe rowers will be susceptible to countless bacterial and viral infections,â said Dr. Sushum Sharma, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine and HoD, the Preventive Health Programme at Max Healthcare.
âThe water will be full of toxins, possibly some industrial waste too as we really donât have any foolproof preventive mechanisms in place in India. There could be lead toxicity, arsenic poisoning⦠even if the men arenât in the water itself, they could be splashed from the oars. You would have skin infections, inhale toxins, if something goes into the eye, nose or mouth, it could lead to anything from eye infections to intestinal infections.â