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Rakesh, 25, from the village of Chandenamal, pop. 1500, Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Krishni river, is sitting on a bed in front of his house, on Saturday, Apr. 29, 2008. Rakesh has been diagnosed a neurological disorder since one and a half years; it has left his legs and left hand almost paralysed while his cognitive skills have been severely affected. He can now walk only with the help of metal crutches and cannot carry on any sort of work or activity. Doctors believe his condition to be associated to the water contaminated with alarming levels of pesticides and heavy metals the family is drinking on an everyday basis.