Administration makes action plan for sanitation

Kochi: The district administration has readied an action plan to undertake sanitation of public areas and houses inundated by floods and to rehabilitate the affected people.

The measures will be implemented on a war footing starting from Tuesday.

The distribution of financial assistance determined by the government to flood victims will be made available at the earliest.

"An amount of Rs 3,800 each will be allocated to those families who lost essential household items in floods such as utensils and clothes," district collector Muhammed Y. Safirulla said during a review meeting attended by heads of various agencies.

"The same will be distributed to all those identified by the respective village officers in a week's time."

The sanitation activities in flood-hit areas will be undertaken by the health department and Suchitwa Mission jointly with voluntary organisations like Anbodu Kochi, NSS and NCC.

They will first empty wells in these regions for chlorination. Then the people will be allowed to draw water only after a quality test.

A special squad will check for snakes and other reptiles in the affected houses before permitting households to return and start the cleaning activities.

"Canals and drainage will be cleaned up by including them under the employment guarantee programme. Houses and premises of affected people will be cleaned up using the pressure washing technique," the collector said.

A system has also been put in place for the continuous monitoring of all these activities, he said.

Meanwhile, the number of relief camps was reduced to ten with affected people beginning to return to their houses.

A total of 834 people belonging to 223 families are still in camps at Thaikattukara SPW LP School, SNDP Hall- Keezmadu, Elavoor St Mary's Parish Hall, Kunnumpuram GHSS, HMT LP School, Hindalco Union office (Paravur), GLPS-Kuttikattukara, Pathalam High School, Vayalkara Anganwadi-17 and Cheriyataikenakam Anganwadi - 20.