Kerala floods: Cleanup after deluge

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the rescue operations in the state reaching the final phase, the government has decided to undertake health, sanitation and precautionary measures on a big scale right away. The government will coordinate the activities of different agencies for unleashing a massive campaign for prevention and control of communicable disease post floods.

A specific plan had already prepared by health department a week ago about the prevention and control of communicable disease. The government has formulated a plan for next 30 days as part of which control rooms and call centres have already started functioning. The state control room has been set up by coordinating the functioning of various medical camp across the state and to effectively deal with communicable diseases. The control room number  is 18001231454.

All medical camps across the state will be coordinated and monitored by the control room. Issues like shortage of staff, medicines would be sorted out soon after such complaints are received at the control room. A special team has been constituted to deal with the issues surfacing in the camps. Over 7.24 lakh displaced people have been sheltered in 5,645 relief camps dotting the state.

Besides, the control room will also monitoring the messages, information coming in from social media including Whatsapp, Facebook, audio visual and print media and immediate follow up action would be taken wherever it is required. The people in affected areas could call on this number to seek medical assistance and facilities .  Lt. Gen. D R Soni, the chief of the Army's Southern Command, told a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram that rescue operations were still continuing and drones being used to help reach to people trapped in areas not easily accessible.

He said 1,500 army personnel were engaged in rescue operations and people stranded on rooftops and inaccesible areas were being winched with the help of defence helicopters. Efforts were now under way to clear the houses of the debris to make them habitable, officials said, underscoring the need for making available disinfectants like bleaching powder in adequate quantities to prevent outbreak of water- borne diseases.