JUNE 26- Amid warnings of an epidemic in flood-hit Uttarakhand hundreds of people from various villages have been heading to medical camps set up by the armed forces with complaints of high fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, authorities said on Wednesday.
Even as the rescue operations continue in the affected areas, authorities fear the breakout of an epidemic as yet to be recovered corpses and carcasses might contaminate water.
Reports said nearly 300 people have so far reported high temperature and gastro-intestinal infections in Ramnagar area alone. Reports also said three ITBP men involved in rescue work in Kedarnath have also reported sick.
Apart from Ramnagar, the other affected areas are Rampur, Sitapur, Sonprayag, Alwalpur, Udvi and Chandrapuri.
The central government has sent a high level team comprising doctors and specialists to Uttarakhand to review the public health measures.
Dehradun district magistrate B. Purushottam said, “Fear of epidemic is there and we have stationed our teams at various locations accordingly. But till now there is no adverse report of a breakout. I am confident that there won’t be any such problem.”
Purushottam said evacuation of stranded people was completed in almost all places except Harsil and Badrinath. He said disposing of bodies now attained top priority.
“We are well underway as far as identification of bodies and profiling them is concerned. Mass cremation will begin today and will be wrapped up by the end of week, if weather permits. All data would be made available on our sites,” he said.
Dr K.K.L. Aggrawal said, “We have seen that animals are eating plastics… If the dead bodies are not buried there will be a blockage. They will also produce harmful gases. Today the prevention would be that we have to provide help.”
“I think all NGOs should leave their relief work and work with the government. It is a pathetic situation. The concern should be to evacuate them,” he added.
