J&K Floods: After floods, Srinagar faces threat of epidemics
Removing carcasses doesn't appear to be the government's immediate priority. Barring few cops, no official is seen in Bemina, a central locality.
By Sameer Arshad, TNN |
SRINAGAR: A dog nibbled at a half-eaten horse on a road divider while a cow carcass floated alongside, just 4.3km from Srinagar Municipality headquarters in the city's inundated Bemina area. People are living in dread of outbreak of epidemics, with many people reporting severe gastroenteritis, 10 days after apocalyptical deluge hit Srinagar and marooned six lakh people besides washing away the government.
Removing carcasses doesn't appear to be the government's immediate priority. Barring few cops, no official is seen in Bemina, a central locality with many important offices and a hospital. Bloated, stinking remains are everywhere, as doctors warn of diseases caused by rotting flesh in stagnant waters.
Medical emergencies stare in the face but Srinagar hospitals are struggling to function without fresh equipment and medicine shortage. Gastroenteritis is being reported in large numbers.
A doctor said a one-year-old infant with breathing difficulty died in his lap even as he was examining him, and there was no oxygen to give him. He did not know the cause of the child's illness as the hospital's diagnostic facilities were damaged.
Officials have promised to act soon but the situation in Bemina is instructive of total failure, as it is barely 5.1km from the secretariat and the assembly.
"Our kids are dying of infection and our houses are still under water. These are getting our priority and not carcasses,'' said Zahoor Ahmad of Bemina. Ahmad was trying to repair the source of his livelihood, an autorikshaw, after somehow pulling it out of water.
Many cars were still floating in low-lying areas around arterial roads. As people tried to bring these out, there were massive traffic snarls on the key road to Jammu and the Srinagar airport on Wednesday. Some residents blocked the road in protest against government apathy.
A few kilometres away the situation is worse. Water-logging continues along with floating cadavers in areas like Iqbal Colony, Mustafabad, and Umarabad down Gulmarg road.
"We have not seen anybody from the government. People are fending for themselves,'' said Mustafabad resident Tariq Qadri. "There are dead rats, cats and dogs all over. We fear worst is yet to come.''
Residents are forming mohalla committees for dewatering and cleaning their areas. But there is lack of awareness about the disposal of dead animals. Awareness campaigns have been hampered by breakdown of electricity in some of the worst-hit areas.
AIR appealed on Tuesday night asking people to bury dead animals after disinfecting them with bleaching powder, which is hard to source. Attempts to get in touch with municipal authorities was futile as there seemed no one to take the calls. Or the phones were not working.
Removing carcasses doesn't appear to be the government's immediate priority. Barring few cops, no official is seen in Bemina, a central locality with many important offices and a hospital. Bloated, stinking remains are everywhere, as doctors warn of diseases caused by rotting flesh in stagnant waters.
Medical emergencies stare in the face but Srinagar hospitals are struggling to function without fresh equipment and medicine shortage. Gastroenteritis is being reported in large numbers.
A doctor said a one-year-old infant with breathing difficulty died in his lap even as he was examining him, and there was no oxygen to give him. He did not know the cause of the child's illness as the hospital's diagnostic facilities were damaged.
Officials have promised to act soon but the situation in Bemina is instructive of total failure, as it is barely 5.1km from the secretariat and the assembly.
"Our kids are dying of infection and our houses are still under water. These are getting our priority and not carcasses,'' said Zahoor Ahmad of Bemina. Ahmad was trying to repair the source of his livelihood, an autorikshaw, after somehow pulling it out of water.
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Many cars were still floating in low-lying areas around arterial roads. As people tried to bring these out, there were massive traffic snarls on the key road to Jammu and the Srinagar airport on Wednesday. Some residents blocked the road in protest against government apathy.
A few kilometres away the situation is worse. Water-logging continues along with floating cadavers in areas like Iqbal Colony, Mustafabad, and Umarabad down Gulmarg road.
"We have not seen anybody from the government. People are fending for themselves,'' said Mustafabad resident Tariq Qadri. "There are dead rats, cats and dogs all over. We fear worst is yet to come.''
Residents are forming mohalla committees for dewatering and cleaning their areas. But there is lack of awareness about the disposal of dead animals. Awareness campaigns have been hampered by breakdown of electricity in some of the worst-hit areas.
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The AIR station, which restarted its broadcast after remaining off air due to floods a few days earlier, has been running awareness campaign, but radios have been largely discarded over the years due to the popularity of satellite TV channels. AIR appealed on Tuesday night asking people to bury dead animals after disinfecting them with bleaching powder, which is hard to source. Attempts to get in touch with municipal authorities was futile as there seemed no one to take the calls. Or the phones were not working.
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