Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the Health Department bracing itself for a massive cleaning drive post-floods, the first and foremost challenge before it is to provide safe and clean potable water to those in the flood-affected areas.
According to the department officers, with potable water sources including wells still contaminated with septic waste and carcass, super chlorination drive will have to be conducted. For this, people would be trained by ASHA workers/ Health workers/Arogya Sena workers.
The department, in the next 30 days, will carry out a slew of initiatives for cleaning, waste disposal, checking of waterborne diseases and mosquito-reduction activities.“Along with super chlorination, people will be trained to make disinfectant solutions for cleaning the floor, walls, ceiling and furniture. They will also be provided with chlorine tablets,” said a department officer.
Department officers said they are wary of breakout of water-borne and vector-borne diseases, post flood. They are also keeping a close watch on the epidemic-prone infection leptospirosis, a zoonotic bacterial disease, which can be transmitted directly from contaminated water.
Citing a report of the World Health Organisation on flooding and communicable diseases, the officer said floods could indirectly lead to an increase in vector-borne diseases as stagnant water created by rainfall or overflow of rivers can act as breeding sites for mosquitoes.
It’s been decided to keep the Kudumbashree workers, Haritha Karmasena, socio-voluntary organisations and youth and student organisations in the loop during the cleanliness drive.
Meanwhile, in the action plan prepared by the public health wing for prevention and control of communicable diseases post-flood, prevention of food poisoning, disease and surveillance reporting, legal action against those who create situations leading to communicable diseases have also been envisioned.
