Double whammy: After flood fury,diseases ravage Fazilka villages

The water has started receding now,but most of the approach roads are still under water hampering the relief work. The doctors,administrative officers and other government officials are using tractors and sometimes even the JCB machines to reach the flooded villages to set up medical camps. The gravity of the situation could be gauged from the fact that on an average 600 patients visit the medical camps set up at Mahtam Nagar,Gatti number 1 and other areas everyday. An equal number of cattle heads are also being treated everyday.

The visiting doctors say the problems have aggravated as some villagers have stayed put in the flooded villages. “They have to wade through knee-deep water every time they want to get something. So infections are expected. We diagnosed some children with respiratory tract infections,” said Dr Gautam,attached to the mobile wing.

His colleague,Dr Pankaj,added that at least four patients have been referred to Fazilka Civil Hospital. “The BSF too evacuated four senior citizens from Muhar Jamsher and took them to the civil hospital,” Pankaj added.

Most of the cases of people falling sick have been reported from Kaawanwali,Gulaba,Retawali,Ramsinghwala Bheni,Dona Nanaka,Muhar Jamsher and Muhar Khewa villages.

A veterinarian with the team,Dr Sahil,said the animals too have contracted fever and are suffering due to skin ailments because of standing or sitting in the water for long periods.

A villager,Pehalwaan Singh,confirmed as much. “Our animals are not getting more than 20 kg of fodder against their normal diet of about 50 kg,” Singh said.

A resident of Gulaba village,Buta Singh added that the administration was not providing enough fodder and relief materials.

However,Jagmel Singh,tehsildar,Setoguno,said,“Water proof sheets and more than 100 quintals of fodder is distributed every day. Some villagers are hoarding the relief materials even as others fail to get any thing.

In Muhar Jamsher village,families living in 78 houses,out of the total 84,have been evacuated while the rest have stayed back. Buta Singh,who is camping in village Mansa in a makeshift tent with his family said,“One family member is still staying there as we have no provision to take our cattle out,” Singh said adding that the locals have sought BSF help to evacuate the cattle.

Meanwhile,the drainage department in Muhar Jamsher has started creating a bundh to stop the flow of water in a ditch canal passing nearby. Local drains of Fazilka Ladhuka Minor and another of Jalalabad have also been damaged by the overflowing river water. A bridge on Ladhuka Minor has also been washed away.