FACTBOX: The five Asian countries worst hit by monsoon floods

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FACTBOX: The five Asian countries worst hit by monsoon floods

Posted 23 July 2007 @ 07:47 am EST
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20070723/asia-floods.htm


Heavy rain and storms have triggered floods and landslides across large parts of Asia, killing hundreds of people.

Here is an overview of the five Asian countries worst affected by this year's monsoon weather.

INDIA, about 750 dead:

-- Heavy rains and landslides have displaced more than eight million people since the start of this year's monsoon season, authorities in the affected states say.

-- Northwestern Maharashtra state has been worst hit, with 362 recorded deaths. In southern Kerala state, 143 have been killed by floods and more than 27,000 displaced since the monsoon began in June.

CHINA, at least 400 dead:

-- Floods, landslides and lightning killed more than 150 people last week across vast tracts of China. More than 3 million have been displaced by this year's rain season.

-- In recent weeks, parts of China have suffered the heaviest rainfall since records began. Last year was the country's second deadliest for floods and typhoons, with 2,704 people killed, according to the China Meteorological Association. The worst year on record was 1998, when 4,150 died in summer floods.

PAKISTAN, nearly 350 dead:

-- South-western Pakistan suffered severe early rainy-season storms and flooding while flash floods killed people in northern Pakistan. A powerful storm killed about 230 people in the biggest city, Karachi, on June 23. Three days later, a cyclone and subsequent floods killed 119 people in the state of Baluchistan, leaving 250,000 people homeless and 204 people missing.

BANGLADESH, nearly 150 dead:

-- Nearly 130 people died in the port city of Chittagong and five million people across the country were either marooned or threatened by flooding in early June. In July, another 15 died and half a million were stranded in their homes by three days of relentless monsoon rains.

-- Bangladesh's monsoon season runs until mid-September. Two-thirds of the low-lying country is regularly inundated during the monsoon, as rain-swollen rivers and streams flow into Bangladesh from the hills of bordering east India.

AFGHANISTAN, about 100 dead:

-- Floods and landslides have killed scores of people, destroyed roads and damaged thousands of homes. Very heavy snow melt has caused flooding in the mountainous north, as swollen rivers burst their banks after winter.

Sources: Reuters​

 

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Re: FACTBOX: The five Asian countries worst hit by monsoon floods

Monsoon rain lashes several areas in Northwest region


Chandigarh, July 23:

Light to moderate rains lashed several areas in Northwest [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]India[/FONT][/FONT] since last night, providing respite from hot and humid weather conditions in the region.

Monsoon rains lashed isolated areas in Punjab with Balachour recording 17.2 mm and Amritsar 5.3 mm downpour overnight.

Rains also pounded some areas in Haryana with Kalka, near here, recording 5 mm till this morning, followed by Ambala measuring 2.7 mm, Panchkula 2 mm and Hissar 0.2 mm.

Moderate rain lashed many areas in [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Himachal [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Pradesh[/FONT][/FONT], including Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Sirmour districts. Solang Nala was the wettest place in the state, recording 17.0 mm rain till this morning while Kahu registered 15.4 mm rainfall.

Nahan, Sundernagar, Pandoh, Sujanpur Tira, Dhundi, Kalpa and Barthin areas also experienced rainfall.

Shimla and its adjoining areas were also lashed by moderate rain and the capital town recorded 8.6 mm rainfall overnight. Upper areas of Shimla district, including tourist places of Wildflower Hall, Kufri, Naldehra and Narkanda, also had rain.

Heavy rain lashed Chandigarh and its adjoining areas last night and the city received 45.4 mm rain till this morning. Monsoon clouds hovered over the Union Territory during the day, bringing more showers in the evening.

The Met Office predicted moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers at many places in Himachal Pradesh and light to moderate rain or thundershowers at few places in Haryana and Punjab during the next 24 hours. It warned of heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh during the period. [/color] <!-- google_ad_section_end --> --- UNI


http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=48435

 

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Re: FACTBOX: The five Asian countries worst hit by monsoon floods

Downpour deluges Dhaka
City life, transport system, flight schedule collapse in rain
Staff Correspondent
​

Torrential rain pounded the capital intermittently throughout the day yesterday as many parts of the city went under knee- to waist-deep water, throwing life and trade in a terrible mess.

Thousands of commuters were stuck in traffic jams for hours on the waterlogged streets. To make situation worse, a large number of vehicles broke down in rainwater that swamped almost every road including the one in front of the Chief Adviser's Office in Tejgaon.


The Met Office recorded 134 millimetres of rain in Dhaka between 6:00am and 3:00pm, which was the highest in the country. The weather will remain unchanged for another day, said an official in Dhaka.


The rain pouring down in torrents hampered both domestic and international flight operations.


A Biman flight from London was forced to land at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong instead of the Zia International Airport (ZIA) in Dhaka, said an airport official. On domestic routes, a flight bound for Cox's Bazar was delayed for several hours.


Another flight of the national flag carrier, which was scheduled to leave for Kuala Lumpur yesterday, has been cancelled for technical glitches as well as rough weather, added the official.


Heavy rain left things quite chaotic in the morning hours as people frantically looked for transport to get to work, and the condition aggravated in the afternoon when they were leaving workplaces.
Many had to wade knee-deep through water to reach their offices after the public transport system went out of gear. The CNG-run auto rickshaws, taxis and rickshaws that were on the roads braving the rain charged outrageously high fares.


Attendance at schools and colleges were low, and many educational institutions were closed earlier than usual. Bazaars and shopping malls emptied much before the sundown as the shopkeepers pulled down the shutters.


The worst affected were Mirpur, Kalyanpur, Basabo, Goran, Azimpur, Dhanmondi, Minto Road, Press Club, Motijheel, Fakirapool, Secretariat area, Maghbazar, Shantinagar, Kakrail, Mowchak, Bangladesh Rifles headquarters at Pilkhana, DND area, and the old parts of the city.


Vehicles slowed to a crawl and sometimes stood still on the major thoroughfares like Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Mirpur Road and Tongi Diversion Road.


An office goer told The Daily Star that it took him more than three hours to travel from Mirpur to Motijheel, a commute that usually takes 45-50 minutes.


Sarwar Hossain, a resident of Mohammadpur area, said, "It happens every time after a heavy downpour. It's all because of a very poor drainage system."


Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) sources said the drains can deal with only 10 millimetres (mm) of rain an hour, and waterlogging is inevitable in case of higher rainfall. The city has 150 square kilometres of storm drains, whereas it needs at least 260 sq kms to collect runoff from heavy shower.


Nearly 10 lakh people inside Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment find themselves faced with floods during the monsoon every year.



This year, they became marooned in their houses even before the rains set in.


Meanwhile, sufferings of the city dwellers were compounded by yet another round of price hike brought on by hard rain in the last couple of days.


Visiting a number of kitchen markets yesterday this correspondent found that a number of vegetables and other essentials were selling at higher prices. At Karwan Bazar, the price of green chilli that was Tk 40-50 a kg in the morning shot up to Tk 70-80 per kg in the evening.


"Incessant rain in the last three days affected the vegetable prices as supply in markets remained poor," said Abdul Latif Mia, president of wholesalers association at Karwan Bazar. If it continues the prices of vegetables and other essentials will rise further.



http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/07/23/d7072301011.htm

 

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Re: FACTBOX: The five Asian countries worst hit by monsoon floods

<table bgcolor="#3366cc" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="updatetime" align="center"> Tue. July 24, 2007 </td><td class="volnum" align="right" width="100"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="5"> </td> <td width="45"> </td> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="newspath"> Editorial
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/07/24/d70724020132.htm

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Distressing deluge aftermath
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Can't we do something lasting and do it quickly?

Inundation of the capital due to heavy rains is not an unusual occurrence. It happens almost every year with varying degrees, but the recent torrent that brought the city to a standstill, imposing great sufferings to the city dwellers, exposes our abject lack of capacity to deal with such an eventuality.

We are told that the system was overwhelmed because our sewerage is not capable of handling more than the routine rain runoff. And that is what begs the question. What may we ask is the 'routine' drainage capacity?



We also notice the usual passing of the buck and shifting of responsibilities by different agencies to each other, like WASA blaming the City Corporation and the district administration, for all the woes caused by the heavy downpour.



Rajuk must also take the blame for the unplanned, haphazard urbanization.


We agree that we had more than the usual rainfall over three days.



But enough is enough. No longer can we put up with efforts of the agencies to hide behind excuses.



We know that the canals have been occupied illegally, but whose job is it to see those freed from illegal occupation?


We know that the drainage system is overwhelmed but some one should answer for the huge amount spent on storm sewerage every year with no improvement in the system. We are told of derelict canals and about the intention to reclaim 11 of them. But nothing tangible has come about.


The fact is that there is absence of long term planning, and coordination between the agencies in using whatever resources they have is lacking too. We see some flurry of activities during the wet season only to be discontinued when it is over. Such seasonal seriousness we can do well without.


There are several factors that have added to the problem.


The bane of urbanisation is only too evident with a large portion of the catchment areas in and around Dhaka city filled up to make for high rise buildings. Also, apart from the canals that are supposed to allow the runoffs into the surrounding rivers having been encroached upon, those rivers too have been silted, obstructing natural flow outwards.


We suggest that the problem of water logging of the capital be addressed urgently. We feel that the current dispensation, with no political constraints to contend with, should utilise all its energy towards streamlining urban planning of Dhaka city, reclaiming and re-excavating the derelict canals as well dredging the surrounding rivers.



After all, this is as important an issue, if not more, as many of those that the caretaker government is seized with at the moment.
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Health Watch: The rising menace of dengue fever
​

PUNE, Jul. 20​

PRADNYA KULKARNI

Guest Contributor


With the arrival of the monsoon season, Indian cities start experiencing outbreaks of rain- related diseases.

Dengue fever is one of them, a viral fever that spreads through the bite of the female Aedes Egypti mosquito. There has already been one death due to the illness this month in Mumbai.

Last year at least 3,500 cases were diagnosed in India and 49 people succumbed to the fever. Experts maintain that the outbreaks are related to rapid urbanization and lifestyle changes in addition to deficient water management and storage.

Dr. Duane Gubler, epidemiologist at the University of Hawaii, says that dengue fever is closely associated with population growth and urbanization.

The rising number of dengue cases in the past decade in the big cities of India like Mumbai and Delhi substantiate this statement.

The past few years have witnessed a big boom in the construction industry in Mumbai and other cities. This has been an invitation for the migration of hundreds of workers from rural areas to the cities, and they have brought with them new strains of diseases.

The housing conditions of these migrant workers are very poor. Hundreds of them are concentrated in small living quarters without proper sanitation and hygiene.

After rainfall, such areas are flooded with water and poor drainage leads to water accumulation.

Vector control in the form of mass fumigation is inadequate.

Such areas make excellent breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

There are four types of dengue viruses. The virus spreads when a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites another person. The viral infection gives rise to high fever, body ache, joint pains and bone pains. Usually the infection subsides by itself, and patients do not need any active treatment.

Rarely, the condition worsens into dengue hemorrhagic fever. In this condition the patient suffers from low platelet count. Platelets are a type of blood cells that prevent bleeding. When they decrease, the patient starts bleeding from various sites, with the slightest injury. This can be fatal if not diagnosed in time and due precautions are not taken. A blood transfusion might be required for such patients to raise the level of platelets.

Each year a high number of cases are diagnosed in leading cities in India like Mumbai and Delhi. Newer diagnostic kits enable physicians to accurately diagnose the condition. Ideally, there should be prompt notification of the health authorities after a case of dengue fever is diagnosed.

This is necessary so that health authorities can initiate vector control measures and isolate the patient to prevent more mosquitoes from biting him and spreading the disease.

This helps to prevent an outbreak from turning into an epidemic.

One problem is that patients might not present themselves for treatment at a hospital or health center. Occasionally, there might be failure of notification due to political pressures. Given these circumstances, it is even more difficult to contain the deadly disease. It is feared that the magnitude of the problem might be much greater than is assumed due to under representation of the population.

As of today there are no antiviral drugs available to actively treat the infection.

In 2002, Swiss company Novartis and the Singapore Economic Development Board created the Novartis Institute for Tropical diseases to research neglected tropical diseases. This institute is now researching an antiviral drug to prevent dengue fever.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has made a generous donation toward the development of a pediatric dengue vaccine that will be affordable and accessible to poor children in endemic countries.

Thai researchers are also testing a dengue fever vaccine.

Until the vaccines and antiviral drugs are available in the market, health authorities need to formulate strong strategies to tackle the growing problem of dengue fever.

Health providers should be well trained to identify the symptoms of the illness at an early stage. The clinical management of cases should improve so that deaths due to dengue fever are reduced.

Also, in order to decrease the transmission of the disease, the poor and underprivileged population should be provided with clean living quarters with proper sanitation.

They need to be educated about protecting themselves and their children from mosquito bites.

Proper methods of storing water should be taught so that the mosquitoes do not breed freely.

Dengue fever is no longer a problem restricted to tropical countries.

According to Dr. Shigeru Omi, the World Health Organization's regional director for the Western Pacific, and many other experts, global climate change is an important factor that is contributing to the increasing prevalence of the disease worldwide.

A study by Dr. Simon Hales states that changes in the world temperature and rainfall will lead to an increase in the area of land with a climate suitable for dengue fever transmission, and if no other contributing factors change, a large proportion of the human population will be put at high risk of getting the disease.

According to the World Health Assembly, dengue prevalence has grown dramatically in recent years and the disease is now a major international public health concern.

It strikes 50-100 million people each year, worldwide. Healthcare systems in India and the world over should address this fact and be ready with schemes to contain the outbreaks and prevent them from becoming an epidemic.

--

(Dr. Pradnya Kulkarni is a clinical pathologist for a private laboratory in Pune, India.)

http://www.upiasiaonline.com/societ...alth_watch_the_rising_menace_of_dengue_fever/

 

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Re: FACTBOX: The five Asian countries worst hit by monsoon floods

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Lepto claims 2, city rain toll 65

[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Lepto_claims_2_city_rain_toll_65/articleshow/2225485.cms

[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]23 Jul 2007, 0155 hrs IST

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[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
MUMBAI: The city recorded two deaths due to monsoon-related ailments in the last 24 hours, civic officials said on Sunday evening, taking the July toll to 65.
Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that spreads through water, contaminated with urine of infected rats or dogs, claimed the two lives.

A 55-year-old resident of Govandi died at Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, while a 38-year-old woman from Bhoiwada, Parel, succumbed to complications arising out of leptospirosis at KEM Hospital, Parel.

Malaria's stranglehold continued with 43 admissions being reported from the public hospitals alone.

As it was a Sunday, the admissions list from the private sector wasn't available.

"Malaria is definitely the most worrisome of all monsoon-related ailments," said BMC's executive health officer, J Thanekar.

Housing societies don't pay enough attention to their water-storage tankers, he charged. "At times, they forget to close the lid of the tanks properly, allowing mosquitoes to breed. At other times, water puddles arising out of rains in the ledges and lobbies of buildings are enough for mosquitoes to breed," he added.

The overall health situation, however, is improving, felt civic officials. "There were 215 admissions due to fever and 54 due to gastroenteritis in the last 24 hours. Two persons affected with dengue were admitted at the same time," said BMC epidemiology officer, Dr Neera Kewalramani.[/FONT]

 

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Delhi

Only 858 Bluelines are found fit to ply

By OUR CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, July 23:



The commuters had a harrowing time on Monday as most of Blueline buses, which have failed to get the mandatory clearance from the government, staying off the roads.



Meanwhile, the Metro rail witnessed an unprecedented rush of commuters, enriching its coffers.


The Delhi transport department has so far found only 858 buses out of 4,000 private Blueline buses fit for plying during a special checking drive carried out in the last three days.



Despite the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) operating around 2,800 buses in different routes to ease the pressure, the shortage of Blueline buses resulted in commuters waiting for longer hours.


The department has increased frequency of buses in ten busy routes like Azadpur, Nehru Place, ITO, Laxmi Nagar, Vikas Marg, ISBT, Outer Delhi for the convenience of the commuters.



Chief minister Sheila Dikshit had on Friday issued directions that the private fleet should not be allowed to ply for two days unless they conformed to all norms like installing speed governors.



Meanwhile, an official said "the Metro rail network ferried 6.20 lakh people and earned Rs 74.81 lakhs."

 

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Weather in India


Chennai, July 22 (UNI)



Following is the summary of observations recorded by the [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]weather[/COLOR] office here at 0830 hrs today.


Rainfall occurred at most places over Coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep, at many places over Telangana and South Interior Karnataka and at a few places over North Interior Karnataka.


Isolated rainfall occurred over Tamil Nadu, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.


Cholavaram and Kawar recorded very rainfall of 8 and 7 centimetres respectively.


The other chief amounts of rainfall recorded in centimetres are: Vellore, Red Hills, Kota and Bangalore 5 each, Panruti, Korattur, Vaikom, Gadag, Bangalore Airport and Chittoor 4 each, Ambur, Kumarapalayam, Kochi Airport, Minicoy, Karkala, Honavar, Ankola, Agumbe, Thondebhavi, Hessarghatta, Rajamundry, Koida, Etrunagaram and Srikalahasti 3 each.


Forcast valid until Tuesday Morning: Rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at most places over Coastal Karnataka and Kerala, at many places over Lakshadweep, Interior Karnataka, Telangana and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh and at a few places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh.


Heavy rainfall warning: Isolated heavy rain is likely to occur over Coastal Karnataka, Kerala and ghat areas of South Interior Karnataka during the next 48 hours.
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WHO warns of major dengue outbreak in West Pacific

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-28615920070723

Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:33PM IST

MANILA (Reuters) -



The World Health Organisation said on Monday the Western Pacific region could be at risk from a major outbreak of dengue unless governments improve efforts and cooperation to stamp out the virus.


About 40 percent of the world's population are at risk from dengue, and the mosquito-borne virus has spread rapidly across Southeast Asia this year due to warmer weather, heavy rains and crowded cities.


"Factors leading to the spread of dengue include population explosion, migration and rapid growth of urban areas, which place a heavy strain on public health services and access to drinkable water," said John Ehrenberg, a WHO regional adviser.


The virus, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes severe fever, headaches, rashes and muscle and joint pain.



Severe forms can cause haemorrhagic fever. There is no vaccine.


Dengue has killed hundreds in Southeast Asia and infected tens of thousands this year but Ehrenberg warned that tracking outbreaks was difficult because many incidences of the virus are not officially reported.


He called for countries in the region to increase dengue surveillance, properly manage patients, reduce mosquito breeding sites and prepare for outbreaks. Information-sharing was also key.


More than 50 million dengue infections, including about 400,000 cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever, are estimated to occur annually around the globe.


Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a leading cause of childhood death in many endemic countries, according to the WHO.

 

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Kerala rubber farmers hit by chikungunya, output falls

July 23, 2007

http://www.ndtvprofit.com/homepage/news.asp?id=286123

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A mosquito-spread viral fever in Kerala has badly affected workers in rubber farms, leading to a delayed harvest and price rise, analysts and traders said.

Chikungunya -- which causes high fever, rashes, joint pains and headache -- has hit labourers in plantations in Kerala, they said.

"It started in rubber plantation areas in central Kerala but is gradually spreading all over," said George Valipallakad, president of the Indian Rubber Dealers Association.

"In some rubber farms there has been no tapping for nearly a month and a half as workers are not able to come to the farms," he added.

Rubber production in the three months to June has fallen 2.7 percent against a 11.6 percent growth last year in the corresponding period, data from the Rubber Board showed. In June alone, the drop was 4.5 percent to 55,000 tonnes.

"There has been a shortage of nearly 10,000 tonnes last month as the area is infected and there are no labourers for tapping rubber," said an official from the Rubber Board.

Spot rubber prices have been hovering around 85,000-90,000 rupees a tonne since May this year but have eased now on poor demand from traders and the tyre manufacturing sector.

Spot rubber prices in Kochi traded at around 8,125 rupees a tonne on Monday against expectations of a drop to 7,200-rupees level this month on good production in the ongoing tapping season.

At 3:35 p.m., rubber for August delivery was quoted at 8,071 rupees a tonne on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India, down 0.62 percent from the previous close. Rubber prices have risen almost 4.6 percent so far this month.

"There are no sellers in the market and the demand is also very poor. However, this is a short-term outlook. Prices will consolidate at 80-rupees/kg level," said an analyst with brokerage Geojit Commodities.

 

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[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]<arttitle>'Sick' of monsoon? </arttitle>
23 Jul 2007, 0000 hrs IST

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NOZIA SAYYED Times News Network

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TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune_Times/Sick_of_monsoon_/articleshow/2225140.cms

[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] Monsoon has come as a relief, offering respite from the sweltering heat. But, it has brought in its wake diseases too.

[/FONT]

Om Shinde, a software professional, who is prone to viral infections during this season, has already had a viral attack twice since the monsoon started. Says he, "I'm tired of these infections. Flu, cough and cold have confined me to the house since the rains began."

Faiyaz Shaikh, a college student, says, "All of us in our group have had viral infection and have missed our important lectures. These infections are killing us."
According to Dr Atul Rakshe, a renowned physician, the most common diseases of the season are malaria, jaundice, and gastro-intestinal infections like typhoid and cholera. "Apart from these, viral infections like cold, cough, and fever are also common. Many patients come to us with viral infections," he says.

The attendance in schools has been thinning due to monsoon-related diseases. "Invariably, four to five students are absent since the monsoon started," says Yukta Kulkarni, a school teacher. One of the causes for the rise in diseases is polluted water, which is very common during the season, and can lead to diarrhoea and gastro.
Clarifies Pramod Nirbhavne, development engineer, PMC, "We are aware that some areas have been getting muddy water, but we have taken instant precautions." Every ward office in the city has been provided with alum to distribute among the residents in their jurisdiction, and they have also been instructed to keep a check on the water supply. Water is also being chlorinated to ensure purity. "In a week's time, the water supply to all centres will be purified," promises Nirbhavne.

There are six water supply centres in PMC - Lashkar, Parvati, Holkar, Warje, Wagholi and Wadgav. Areas like Katraj, Dhankawdi, Sinhagad etc are supplied water from Wadgav Water Supply Centre, which is still under construction. That explains why certain areas are experiencing polluted water. "We are spreading awareness among people on how to purify water for drinking and cooking purposes," informs Nirbhavne.

But Nikhil Chatterjee, general manager, Pest Control India (PCI), advises people to be extra careful about their health during the monsoon. "This season gives you major illnesses like dengue, chikungunya, cholera or hepatitis. All these fever-related diseases spread due to mosquitoes, flies and also rats. These can be kept at bay by taking precautions (see the box above)."

Some measures to avoid contracting diseases during the monsoon:

Do not allow breeding of pests in and around your society

Keep doors and windows shut during evening hours.

Stagnant water causes breeding of mosquitoes and flies, so keep changing the water in potted plants.

Full clothing, lotions and using mosquito nets can help keep pests away

Maintain hygiene and cleanliness.

Ensure regular cleaning and scrubbing of water tanks.


[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][/FONT]​

 

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Home > News > Kerala News <!-- google_ad_section_start -->
Joseph stresses on separate Railway Zone for Kerala


Kottayam, July 21: Kerala Congress (J) Chairman P J Joseph today emphasised the need for a separate Railway Zone for Kerala.

Addressing a press [COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]conference[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] here, Mr Joseph said his party would initially stage dharnas in front of Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station, demanding the formation of a separate zone and would intensify the agitation if the government failed to pay heed to their demand.

Referring to the problem confronting the education sector, he said the government should take the initiative for resolving the impasse.

On Mullaperiyar dam issue, he said the Centre should take immediate steps to construct a new dam since it concerned the lives of 30 lakh people living downstream.

On the outbreak of Chikungunya and viral fever, Mr Joseph said the situation in several areas in the state was pathetic.

The government should provide free ration to the people affected with viral fever, he said, adding that his party would distribute free rice, as part of its relief operations, from July 25 to 27 in different districts. [/COLOR] <!-- google_ad_section_end --> --- UNI

 

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When whole communities face ruin
The Vector trail
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram <!-- prneml ctrl begins --> http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/...2007072054760500.htm&date=2007/07/20/&prd=th& http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/pgemail.pl?date=2007/07/20/&prd=th&
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/20/stories/2007072054760500.htm

AGONISING WAIT: Patients queue up for OP ticket at the Chittar Primary Health Centre in Pathanamthitta.

Thiruvananthapuram:



It is pouring at Chittar, about 30 km from Pathanamthitta town, on the Sabarimala route. The hilly route is picturesque; one can see the swollen Maniyar below and vast tracts of pineapple plantations.


It was in Chittar grama panchayat area that chikungunya first broke out in Pathanamthitta district this year.



The tiny mini primary health centre in the village was hardly equipped to handle the huge, unprecedented influx of patients when viral-fever cases began to be reported in the hundreds in mid-April.



The district health administration had to open a temporary inpatient unit, deploy more doctors and nurses, and arrange for truckloads of medicines and IV fluids.


?Over 1,000 viral fever cases used to be reported daily in the OP [outpatient unit] then. The 200-odd patients who come to the clinic now are mostly suffering from persistent arthralgia [joint pain],? says Subhagan, medical officer in-charge. Most of the affected were residents of the Pambini and Anchekkar Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe colonies.


The community here, with most people of working age employed as rubber tappers or manual labourers, was not very poor.



But the chikungunya outbreak changed all that.



Almost all households here now depend on free rations provided by the Government and charity clubs.


Though the outbreak is under control now, it could be months or over a year before this village recovers from the social and economic trauma the crippling disease has left behind Till about two weeks ago, ?kanji? (gruel) was being given free twice a day at the primary health centre by political parties.


?There are 500-odd houses in these two colonies and every family had at least two or three members down with chikungunya.


None in Chittar has been able to go for work for the past two months.



Rubber tappers here used to earn a daily wage of about Rs. 125. Many who tried to get back to work after the first bout of fever are now down with severe arthralgia,? says K.S. Somasekharan, resident of Pambini. His mother, Radhamma, and daughter too were down with chikungunya. ?It has been a month, but the joints are so stiff and swollen that even getting out of bed is a painful task,?



Ms. Radhamma says. Recurring bouts of fever after chikungunya are something that all patients complain about. ?Good nutrition and proper rest are important for recovering from chikungunya. Unfortunately, for those subsisting on daily wages, these are luxuries they cannot afford.
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