Sri Lanka’s flood survivors at risk of dengue, disease – aid workers
(File)
A relative of a victim reacts at a landslide site during a rescue
mission in Athwelthota village, in Kalutara, Sri Lanka May 28, 2017.
Source: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte--A
man looks at the landslide site during a rescue mission in Athwelthota
village, in Kalutara, Sri Lanka May 28, 2017. Source: Reuters/Dinuka
Liyanawatte
A
part of a flooded highway exit is seen in a village in Matara, Sri
Lanka May 29, 2017. Source: Sri Lanka Air Force/Handout via Reuters
30th May 2017
THOUSANDS of survivors of devastating floods and landslides in Sri Lanka
are at risk of potentially fatal diseases such as dengue fever,
charities warned on Monday as the death toll from the disaster continued
to rise.
Torrential rains over the last four days have sparked widespread
flooding and triggered landslides in southwestern parts of the Indian
Ocean island. At least 177 people have died and almost half a million
others have had their lives disrupted.
As search and rescue teams look for more than 100 people who remain
missing, and Sri Lanka’s military in boats and helicopters struggle to
reach marooned villagers with food and clean water, charities are
warning of a looming health threat.
“The threat of water-borne diseases is a big concern with over 100,000
people displaced from their homes, many of whom are staying in damp,
crowded conditions,” Chris McIvor, head of Save the Children Sri Lanka,
told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“I’m
particularly worried we could start seeing even more dengue cases
because of the floods, as stagnant water provides the perfect breeding
ground for mosquitoes. It’s the last thing needed by communities that
have already lost so much.”
Outbreaks of diseases such as dengue fever and cholera, and illnesses
like diarrhea and dysentery, are often a threat in the aftermath of
floods due to water-logging, say experts.
Dengue is common in South Asia, especially during the monsoon season
which runs from June to September, and if untreated, it can kill.
Sri Lanka’s ministry of disaster management says almost 558,000 people
from 15 of the country’s 25 districts have been hit by the disaster.
Villages and towns have been inundated, thousands of homes damaged and
agriculture land swamped.
Around 75,000 people in the worst-affected districts have been relocated to temporary shelters.
The Sri Lanka authorities have called for international assistance to
help with search and rescue efforts, and have also appealed for aid
ranging from boats, generators and mobile toilets to mosquito nets,
clothes and clean drinking water.
But aid workers say reaching survivors remains a challenge. Entire
communities remain marooned, living out in the open as their homes have
been destroyed, with roads submerged under water or blocked by
landslides.
“Getting in to these communities is of the highest priority right now so
we can find out exactly what the needs are and respond,” said McIvor.
“At the same time more rains are predicted since we are only at the
start of the south west monsoon season, so the situation could worsen
even more over the coming days and weeks.” – Thomson Reuters Foundation
