The district received its share of rain this monsoon, almost double the amount received last year. Even as the rain continues to refresh the district, which was reeling under severe drought barely a month ago, it has been wreaking havoc in a number of places.
Since the monsoon set in by the end of May, loss has been estimated at Rs.1.23 crore in the district. As per the records of the District Disaster Control room, 377 houses have been partially damaged while nine have been completely destroyed. Four persons drowned.
The government had set up relief camps at Vengeri from June 17 to 20 to accommodate four families. There was a camp in Nadapuram on June 20 and 21 which accommodated 14 families. However, people prefer staying with their relatives when their houses are flooded rather than shifting to relief camps. Around 15 families have shifted to their relatives’ houses at Vengeri while the number is more than 60 at Nadapuram.
People residing on the coastal belt, who are threatened by sea erosion, too have left their houses.
More than 25 families, especially near the Vadakara coast, have sought refuge with their relatives. The hilly regions of the district are facing the threat of landslips, the possibility of which cannot be ruled out considering the amount of rain received recently. Pulloorampara, a village which was devastated in a major landslip last year, is closely monitored.
30 dengue cases
Different kinds of fevers are being reported from various parts of the district. There are quite a number of cases of viral fever. So far, 30 cases of dengue had been confirmed in the district during the months of May and June while the suspected number is 149. Dengue is suspected to be the reason for the death of a woman at Mukkom, but it has not confirmed since the woman was suffering from various other ailments. The confirmed cases of malaria are 25 while that of jaundice are 525. One case of H1N1 and three of leptospirosis have been reported.
The numbers are much lower compared to the previous years and below the expected level. The Department of Health considers this a success of its pre-monsoon drive creating awareness on the diseases and preventive measures. The department had organised ‘source reduction activities’ to eliminate water pools to avoid mosquito breeding and chlorinate water at sources and conducted health awareness classes for the public, especially in the rural areas. However, the district has to maintain caution as the inflow of migrant labourers could not be controlled. All the malaria cases reported in the district were of people from outside the district. The situation may turn worse if more care is not taken by each individual in curbing mosquito breeding. The accumulation of garbage and polluted water are also causes for concern.
