Epidemic fear loom at large in Jammu and Kashmir; medical efforts ramped up

Amid fears looming large of an outbreak of epidemic in flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir, efforts to provide medical staff and medicines were ramped up on Monday even as rescue operations were hampered for a short period due to return of rains in the Valley.

Armed forces and National Disaster Relief Force have rescued over two lakh trapped people as the operations entered the 13th day today. Over one lakh people are still marooned after the worst floods in the state in a century unleashed a trail of death and destruction, claiming at least 250 lives.

An angry Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today debunked talk of only a selected few being rescued.

Asserting that rescue and relief operations are being intensified, he hit out at rumour mongers for spreading falsehood that rescue operations were focused only on outsiders and VIPs and not residents of the Valley.

Seeking to set the record straight, he told reporters here that about 80,000 people of the Valley were rescued by the armed forces and NDRF from their marooned houses while 13,100 were airlifted out of Kashmir.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took a detailed review of the health-related relief measures at a meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here and senior officials and said all assistance will be provided to the state authorities to tackle any possible epidemic.

Though the flood waters have receded, the filth that has accumulated across the Valley, including carcasses of animals, along with lack of clean drinking water posed a serious challenge to health authorities which have issued advisories, rushed doctors, paramedics and medicines and were carrying out mass immunisation against measles. The Centre has also been sounded to dispatch more assistance.

Mild rainfall occurred in many parts of the Valley this morning, stalling air operations for a couple of hours.

As it struggled to reach all the stranded people, the IAF helicopters have also encountered problems of stone pelting in some areas while rescuing and airdropping relief material.

One helicopter was hit by a stone, prompting the force to change its strategy after which choppers maintained a safe distance from the ground.

"We understand that people are angry. Even in a family, sometimes children get angry. But we are there to help out," Air Vice Marshal Upkarjit Singh said.

Two battalions of Armed Police have also been airlifted from Jammu to Kashmir Valley for maintaining law and order.