Bengaluru sees rise in kidney ailments, doctors blame polluted water

With more and more dialysis cases being reported across Bengaluru, Urologists and Nephrologists say that kidney ailments are linked to the bad quality of water in the city. Professor TV Ramachandra from the Indian Institute Of Science (IISC) says that earlier, one or two in a lakh patients used to come for kidney-related ailments. But now, he says, one in every five thousand have these ailments. 

Cases of dialysis have spiked in Bengaluru and surrounding areas. The main culprit seems to be the sewage and industrial effluents, which seep into lakes and farm fields, polluting both crops and the ground water. "Chemical contents have entered the human system through food and water. As these chemicals reach the kidneys through the bloodstream, they are damaged. We are seeing more patients year after year," he said.

Supporting the claims by Dr Ramachandra,  Dr Harish, HoD, Vydehi Medical College Hospital says that if the kidneys have to function properly, they need good water and vegetables. 

"In case industrial chemicals are mixed in the food or water, the issue may start with a simple stone in the kidney and end up in renal failure later," he said. 

• Bengaluru
• Health