Water
levels are receding from most parts of Tamil Nadu state, where at least 280
people are now known to have died in floods since last month.
In a flood
scenario like this, a key characteristic of this phase is the break of epidemics and the larger
question of sustaining relief and rehabilitation work. Garbage and sludge have collected on the streets
and sewage has entered homes, damaging properties. In some areas, people have
spotted carcasses floating by, and rodents and snakes run riot in abandoned
homes. The situation is ripe for an epidemic, if the State is not prepared,
public health experts have warned.
So far, we have no large-scale incidence of
fever and diarrhea, two conditions that we are expecting at this stage,”
explains a senior health department official, not ruling out isolated bursts of
disease because of contamination of local water sources. The proven protocol in
such circumstances is a combination of surveillance and prevention activities,
watching out for the outbreak of diseases and ensuring that the factors that
contribute to it are removed.
The
rains, the heaviest in 100 years, are being blamed on climate change.