Grain drying in Shakti Nagar. The grain had been inundated with water flowing from the flooded Union Carbide factory. Unable to afford to lose their small stores, desperate people washed the grain with water from taps to try to save it.
Three teams from the Sambhavna Trust Clinic today went out to deliver medical relief to different areas. Each team took with them water purifying tablets, medicines and health education pamphlets.
Observations from Shakti Nagar and Atal-Ayub Nagar
Aziza, Masarrat, Ritesh and Biju went to Shakti Nagar and Atal-Ayub Nagar.
They found people suffering from loose motions, vomiting, fever, body ache, and skin rashes and eruptions. The skin problems affect the parts of people’s bodies that were under water. Most adults have skin eruptions on the lower half of their bodies, below the waist, for many children they reached to their necks.
In Shakti Nagar 35 houses next to the boundary wall of the Union Carbide factory were submerged and damaged. In Atal-Ayub Nagar there were 100 such houses. Government officials have distributed water puriying tablets here. Everyone had a story to tell about people helping each other and saving lives. Krishna Tomar [55], Pushpa Rathore [35] and Radha Bai [45] helped the team in distributing medicines and other stuff.
Observations from Shaaheen Colony and Sundar Nagar
Tasneem, Anand, Jyoti and Brian went to Sundar Nagar and Shaaheen Colony.
The team placed themselves in 5 different spots in these bastis and, with active help from local teenage boys, distributed medicines, pamphlets, water purifying tablets and medical advice. Officials had done a cursory survey but left out quite a few houses. No medicines had been distributed by government officials. People complain of itching, cold, hoarseness of voice, chest pain and body ache.
Observations from Oriya Basti and Shankar Nagar
Mukesh, Shehanaz, Tabassum, S M Nasir and Adriane went to Oriya Basti and Shankar Nagar.
Here our team found three people from Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital distributing medicines. They were handing out, quite inappropriately, strong antibiotics for children in the form of amoxycillin and metronidazole suspensions, and potentially harmful pain killers such as sodium diclofenac. The main complaints being reported are itching and skin eruptions, fever, loose motions and abdominal pain. Whatever foodgrain people had in their homes is now wasted. People want food here and clothes becaue all they had is wet.
Donations of medicine
Mr Lalit Jain donated a box of medicines, Dr Goswani donated 5000 water purifying tablets each tablet good for 20 litres of water. Tomorrow our teams will visit the bastis that are most in need of medical care and other assistance.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
MORE PICTURES AND STORIES BELOW.
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