15 Children Fall Unconscious As Tobacco Dust Pollute Environment

Sumaira FH Published May 09, 2017 | 04:25 PM

MULTAN, May 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 09th May, 2017 ) : Around fifteen students of a private school fell unconscious and hospitalized after inhaling tobacco dust that rose from nearby tobacco cutting and grinding units due to strong winds at Dajal road, Jampur tahsil on Tuesday.

Over thirteen tobacco cutting and grinding units were operational on Dajal road near the private school in Jampur, a tahsil of district Rajanpur, that is known all over the country for tobacco cultivation.

"A large area of Jampur is covered by tobacco cultivation," says an agriculture official. Deputy commissioner Rajanpur Ashfaq Gujjar told APP that an inquiry committee had been formed to probe the incident and submit report within next three days.

District government has sealed three tobacco grinding units and ordered to close the nearby schools immediately, he added. The children were immediately rushed to tahsil headquarters hospital soon after they were noticed coughing and then fainting.

The children are now stated to be stable. Health officials including DHO, DDHO, education officials and district officer environment visited the school and gathered information regarding the incident.

MS hospital Dr. Najeeb Ur Rahman Thaheem said that eleven children were brought to the hospital and all were now stable. The children included Muhammad Ramzan, Muhammad Suhail, Muhammad Ikram, Muhammad Naveed, Khizar Abbas, Muhammad Ali Shan, Muhammad Haseeb, Rashid Hussain, Zulfiqar, Muhammad Ahmad, and Muhammad Azhar.

Private schools and parents have urged the government to shift these units far away from the populated areas. It may be noted that Zila Council Rajanpur had unanimously adopted a resolution, presented by Vice Chairman Mirza Shahzad Humayun Mughal, on April 29, for shifting of these tobacco grinding and cutting units away from urban areas to avoid risk of diseases.

Meanwhile, four children of Govt Model High School for Boys were fainted due to scorching heat. Those fainted include: Muhammad Rizwan and Sabir Ali of 6th class, Muhammad Nadeem of 7th class and Safdar Ali of 9th class. Rescue 1122 shifted the schoolchildren to THQ hospital Jampur.