Hyderabad: Alert staff curb disease spread

Hyderabad: Despite heavy rains and water logging for over a week, the bright side of the situation has been that the flood-hit areas have been safe and not many cases of vomiting and diarrhoea have been reported.

Officials were worried that with the extent of the flood-affected areas being huge under Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits which is spread over three districts and has a huge population, such cases may trigger major health crisis.

Ranga Reddy DMHO Dr Swarajya Lakshmi said that they have not identified water contaminated health issues in the flood-affected areas in the district. She said various government wings, including the Health Department, were on the ground from day one and the awareness brought in by government staff ensured the public was careful of what they eat and drink.

Medchal-Malkajgiri DMHO Dr Veeranjaneyulu said that they have conducted over 180 health camps in the flood-affected parts of the district."Fever, cold, and body pains are the most common cases seen now in colonies and areas inundated with recent floods. These are common during this season. Health teams are distributing medicines to people who are ill," he said. Hyderabad DM Dr Venkati said that they have seen sporadic cases in the Old City and not a cluster of cases.

Meanwhile, the HMWSSB (Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board) that handles drinking water supply across the city was also quick to come to the rescue of the affected population. It started distributing chlorine tablet packets to houses asking them to mix in water storage sumps that might have become polluted due to flood water flowing into them.

On the other hand, city denizens played a Good Samaritan role to help the affected families in their neighborhood distributing food and drinking water packets since rains pounded the state capital.

Kriya Sangh and Rights and Duties organizations distributed bread, utensils, and clothes in low-lying areas like Rasoolpura and Prakashnagar in Begumpet. Other organisations had also pitched in to help the affected by taking up relief operations.