Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that rescue operations in the flood-ravaged State have entered the last stage and the focus will now shift to relief and rehabilitation.

He said that as on Sunday some 7.25 lakh people were put up at 5,645 relief camps across the State; the camps’ administration has been entrusted to the respective local bodies.

First priority

Saving lives was the first and foremost priority, and the State government believes the rescue operations have accomplished this to a large extent. Tens of thousands of people have already been saved in the affected districts.

That does not mean that operations to locate and save hundreds of people still stranded would be given up. These would go on even as efforts would be launched to rehabilitate those in the camps, he said.

The State government will see to it that those affected are able to return to normal life. They need to be assured of drinking adequate water, power and food supply. Residents’ associations are being requested to lend a helping hand here.

Helicopters, boats and canoes will be deployed to maintain the supply of essentials. Trained personnel will restore electricity supply under the directions of the Electricity Board.

The main focus would be on cleaning up since the slush and the dirt, coupled with contaminated flood waters could turn a breeding ground for diseases.

Six health inspectors are being assigned to each flood-affected panchayat to supervise this activity. A separate protocol is being developed to achieve this.

Healthcare is another aspect engaging the attention of the administration, given the presence of infants and the aged among the sick in the relief camps.

The Chief Minister said that government hospitals are being prepared to take up the challenge. Private hospitals too are involved in nursing the vulnerable people.

Medical camps

Medical camps will be held in all relief camps and panchayats, whenever needed. Nodal officers are being appointed to receive as well as distribute medicines.

Steps are being initiated to restore public transport operations. The State government had convened a meeting of railway officials instructing them to expedite the process of restoring rail traffic.

A meeting of the Public Works Department officials assessed that the State has suffered a loss of ₹4,441 crore in the roads and bridges sector.

The Chief Minister thanked the fishermen of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam who ferried their vessels to the flood-hit areas and saved thousands of lives.

The death toll in the monsoon-related flood and landslide events has crossed 400 with 33 deaths being reported on Saturday and 13 on Sunday. The official figure until Saturday was 357.

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