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Flood fury: With water receding in some regions, threat of diseases looms large
This week, around 140 people are said to have died because of heavy rains in India’s western coastal states.
After receiving heavy rain for two days, there was let up in the downpour in Goa, north Karnataka and parts of Telangana with no major loss of life reported, officials said. Flood water started receding in most of the places in the southern states even though power supply remained disrupted in many regions.
This week, around 140 people are said to have died because of heavy rains in India’s western coastal states and close to 1,50,000 people are in make-shift camps in three worst-hit states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka where hundreds of villages are flooded.
Officials said that the flooding seen in northern Karnataka and Goa was the worst since 1982, the heaviest rain in living memory. While in Karnataka, local ministers toured the flood-affected areas, in Goa, chief minister Pramod Sawant visited the flood-affected areas and assured compensation within fifteen days.
Rain affected Goa and Karnataka have sought immediate Central assistance to carry out rehabilitation works. Goa sought ₹500 crore and Karnataka ₹1,000 crore. According to official estimates, more than 700 houses have been destroyed in Goa and more than 2,000 in Karnataka.
Both Karnataka and Goa governments on Friday issued directions for restoration of power supply and road connectivity hit by several landslides in the two states. Work has also started to restore traffic on the Mumbai-Mangalore highway which was breached and blocked by landslides at several places.
In Goa and Karnataka, both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress asked its workers to provide relief to the affected people. “Devastation caused by floods has caused huge losses. We demand [that] @goacm must give immediate cash compensation and a one month quota of essential commodities to the affected. Appreciate efforts of @IYCGoa to reach out to the needy with a helping hand,” Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat stated.
As the water receded, the fear of water-borne diseases has also gripped the region.
Karnataka health and medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar instructed health officials to take all precautions to prevent the outbreak of any disease in the flood-hit regions of the state. The health staff was instructed to spray disinfectant in places that are affected by floods, according to an official release.
In Goa, CM Sawant instructed district officials to spray disinfectant in villages to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases and create awareness among people.
“The second wave of Covid is not over yet. Ensure free masks and sanitisers are distributed to people in flood relief centres,” Sudhakar told the officials.
The MeT department has predicted that the region will see reduced rainfall during the weekend as compared to the previous two weeks, which could provide relief to people and help government authorities restore essential services. The weather department has predicted heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in Madhya Pradesh and parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
