Balabhadrapuram, a village in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district, is named after Balabhadra, the god of agriculture and fertility, and the elder brother of Jagannath and Subhadra.
The land is so fertile that it yields three crops a year — paddy, sugarcane and other staples. A prosperous village. But none of that matters now because there’s a far more pressing issue: cancer. District collector P Prasanthi confirmed 32 cancer cases — an incidence rate nearly three times the national average. According to a 2022 study by Global Cancer Observatory, a WHO affiliate, the expected range would be around 10-11 cancer cases for a village the size of Balabhadrapuram, which is home to roughly 10,800 people.
But what’s worse, the unofficial estimate is that there are some 100 cancer cases in this village mear Anaparthi town. The unease has reached the Andhra Pradesh assembly. Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy of BJP has suggested the real count could be far higher than official figures.
In the last three years, 19 people have been officialy recorded as having succumbed to the disease, but locals claim it has so far claimed 65 lives.
Of the 32 officially registered cancer patients, 17 have completed treatments, 15 are still being treated.
Some speculate that the surge in cancer cases may be linked to pollution from nearby industrial units and the resultant contamination of air and water. But there are no clear answers.
Cancer Strikes Early
Botcha Jaya is a cancer survivor. She underwent surgery, then took her rounds of chemotherapy, and finally beat cancer. But just when she thought she could breathe easy, came another blow — her daughter M Jyothi Rani, only 26 and a mother of two, was diagnosed with stage-four stomach cancer. Rani is far younger than most of the village’s cancer-stricken — the disease has largely affected those in the 45-50 age group.
Narala Rajeswari, 37, is a farm labourer and mother of two girls. Now, throat cancer has robbed her of the simple act of eating. She has put down her sickle, unable to work, relying on her ageing mother for the chores she once did with ease.
Max Cases Of Breast, Cervical Cancer
The sudden spurt in cases has caught the village unawares and left the residents panic-stricken.
District collector Prasanthi said that breast and cervical cancers account for half the cases. “There is no particular trend. The cases are diverse: throat, intestine, skin, thyroid, breast, cervical.”
The state govt has responded with urgency. It dispatched a mobile cancer screening unit and teams of doctors who organised a mass medical camp. Simultaneously, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board has begun collecting air and water samples as the search continues for a culprit.
On March 22 and 23, the village turned into a battlefield as 200 medical personnel, including 50 doctors, moved from door to door, screening people.
“They checked for cancer symptoms, any family history of cancer, suspected cases, or cancer deaths, and also talked with those already dealing with the disease,” Prasanthi said.
Oncology teams from Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, and Kakinada worked without rest, knowing that time is often the cruellest adversary in this battle. Free transportation is being arranged for those needing treatment at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital in Visakhapatnam. For most patients, the journey of illness leads them to Rajahmundry or Kakinada — cities 40km away, where govt hospitals and private facilities offer treatment.
State health minister Satya Kumar said: “The village has 3,500 households. Medical teams surveyed 8,830 people, covering 2,803 households. We identified 38 suspected cases and documented cancer-related deaths in the past three years.” The district collector said that of the 38 suspected cases that were identified, nine received full screening and all tested negative.
Some patients — landowners with the means to choose — have turned to private hospitals, spending lakhs in their fight against the disease. But it is the poorer farmers and agricultural labourers who find themselves in the worst position, lawmaker Reddy said. Already struggling to make ends meet, they face an impossible choice: seek treatment they cannot pay for or surrender to the inevitable.
“They can’t work, and they can’t afford treatment. The entire village is drowning in fear,” the MLA said.
Financial lifelines exist. Those holding white ration cards, falling below the poverty line, seek refuge in the Aarogyasri scheme that grants up to Rs 25 lakh for treatment. But for those who do not qualify for the scheme, hope is not entirely out of reach — financial assistance can be sought from the CM’s Relief Fund, though it requires the local MLA’s recommendation.
Searching For Answers
Balabhadrapuram’s fields still hum with the songs of farmers, but beneath the melodies lies an unspoken truth: something is poisoning their land, their lives, their future.
“Our goal is to resolve the uncertainty once and for all. If no specific causes are identified, we will focus on conducting awareness camps and cancer education initiatives,” the MLA said.
For many, this sudden attention brings no solace — only fear and disquiet. The villagers talk among themselves. Something is wrong. Superstition takes hold. A mirror broke in someone’s home — an ill omen.
The rural water supply department has joined the investigation, while officials scramble to piece together the puzzle. If the factories outside the village hold the answer, their guilt will be revealed in the test results. Until then, there is only speculation and fear.
The land is so fertile that it yields three crops a year — paddy, sugarcane and other staples. A prosperous village. But none of that matters now because there’s a far more pressing issue: cancer. District collector P Prasanthi confirmed 32 cancer cases — an incidence rate nearly three times the national average. According to a 2022 study by Global Cancer Observatory, a WHO affiliate, the expected range would be around 10-11 cancer cases for a village the size of Balabhadrapuram, which is home to roughly 10,800 people.
But what’s worse, the unofficial estimate is that there are some 100 cancer cases in this village mear Anaparthi town. The unease has reached the Andhra Pradesh assembly. Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy of BJP has suggested the real count could be far higher than official figures.
In the last three years, 19 people have been officialy recorded as having succumbed to the disease, but locals claim it has so far claimed 65 lives.
Of the 32 officially registered cancer patients, 17 have completed treatments, 15 are still being treated.
Some speculate that the surge in cancer cases may be linked to pollution from nearby industrial units and the resultant contamination of air and water. But there are no clear answers.
Cancer Strikes Early
Botcha Jaya is a cancer survivor. She underwent surgery, then took her rounds of chemotherapy, and finally beat cancer. But just when she thought she could breathe easy, came another blow — her daughter M Jyothi Rani, only 26 and a mother of two, was diagnosed with stage-four stomach cancer. Rani is far younger than most of the village’s cancer-stricken — the disease has largely affected those in the 45-50 age group.
Narala Rajeswari, 37, is a farm labourer and mother of two girls. Now, throat cancer has robbed her of the simple act of eating. She has put down her sickle, unable to work, relying on her ageing mother for the chores she once did with ease.
Max Cases Of Breast, Cervical Cancer
The sudden spurt in cases has caught the village unawares and left the residents panic-stricken.
District collector Prasanthi said that breast and cervical cancers account for half the cases. “There is no particular trend. The cases are diverse: throat, intestine, skin, thyroid, breast, cervical.”
The state govt has responded with urgency. It dispatched a mobile cancer screening unit and teams of doctors who organised a mass medical camp. Simultaneously, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board has begun collecting air and water samples as the search continues for a culprit.
On March 22 and 23, the village turned into a battlefield as 200 medical personnel, including 50 doctors, moved from door to door, screening people.
“They checked for cancer symptoms, any family history of cancer, suspected cases, or cancer deaths, and also talked with those already dealing with the disease,” Prasanthi said.
Oncology teams from Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, and Kakinada worked without rest, knowing that time is often the cruellest adversary in this battle. Free transportation is being arranged for those needing treatment at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital in Visakhapatnam. For most patients, the journey of illness leads them to Rajahmundry or Kakinada — cities 40km away, where govt hospitals and private facilities offer treatment.
State health minister Satya Kumar said: “The village has 3,500 households. Medical teams surveyed 8,830 people, covering 2,803 households. We identified 38 suspected cases and documented cancer-related deaths in the past three years.” The district collector said that of the 38 suspected cases that were identified, nine received full screening and all tested negative.
Some patients — landowners with the means to choose — have turned to private hospitals, spending lakhs in their fight against the disease. But it is the poorer farmers and agricultural labourers who find themselves in the worst position, lawmaker Reddy said. Already struggling to make ends meet, they face an impossible choice: seek treatment they cannot pay for or surrender to the inevitable.
“They can’t work, and they can’t afford treatment. The entire village is drowning in fear,” the MLA said.
Financial lifelines exist. Those holding white ration cards, falling below the poverty line, seek refuge in the Aarogyasri scheme that grants up to Rs 25 lakh for treatment. But for those who do not qualify for the scheme, hope is not entirely out of reach — financial assistance can be sought from the CM’s Relief Fund, though it requires the local MLA’s recommendation.
Searching For Answers
Balabhadrapuram’s fields still hum with the songs of farmers, but beneath the melodies lies an unspoken truth: something is poisoning their land, their lives, their future.
“Our goal is to resolve the uncertainty once and for all. If no specific causes are identified, we will focus on conducting awareness camps and cancer education initiatives,” the MLA said.
For many, this sudden attention brings no solace — only fear and disquiet. The villagers talk among themselves. Something is wrong. Superstition takes hold. A mirror broke in someone’s home — an ill omen.
The rural water supply department has joined the investigation, while officials scramble to piece together the puzzle. If the factories outside the village hold the answer, their guilt will be revealed in the test results. Until then, there is only speculation and fear.
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