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Poor water, not rotting bodies, of greater concern: Red Cross

The International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies has discounted fears about the spread of epidemics in the quake-hit areas of Gujarat due to decomposing bodies and said poor quality water is a much greater concern.

The leading international relief organisation, which is carrying out extensive operations to provide medical and non-food aid to the quake-affected people, said, ''We are concerned that unnecessary alarm is being created among the disaster-affected population by reports that decomposing bodies contribute to the spread of disease.''

The IFRC emergency health coordinator Hakan Sandbladh said on his return from the worst-affected Bhuj area that normal healthy people killed in an earthquake, who do not have communicable diseases, do not pose any threat to public health.

No outbreaks of disease as a result of decomposing bodies was seen in recent earthquakes in El Salvador or Turkey, he added.

''It's a serious misconception even among aid personnel. It's true that it can be very disturbing especially for survivors, and pyschologically difficult, but in and of itself, this is not a public health threat,'' Dr Sandbladh said.

Instead, poor quality water was of much greater concern in the quake-hit areas of Gujarat and the Red Cross was augmenting the local supply with significant quantities of good quality drinking water.

The German Red Cross team has set up a water sanitation system near Bhuj with a capacity to purify 20,000 litres per day. However, it was facing some problems in water supply. If the raw water could be supplied, this facility could purify up to 200,000 litres, IFRC representatives told UNI here today.

Immediate deployment of two water purification units from the Red Cross warehouse in Calcutta has also been requested.

Apart from poor quality water, the interior areas of quake-ravaged Kutch district were also facing lack of tents, clothes and transportation to carry relief supplies, IFRC spokesman Bijoy Patra said.

The secretary general of the Indian Red Cross Society had observed that 100,000 tents were the priority at the moment, he said.

The IFRC, which put out an appeal for cash, kind and services aid worth over 25 million Swiss francs (about Rs 60 million) following the January 26 earthquake, aims to mobilise 60,000 kitchen sets, 60,000 sweaters and other garments for men, 60,000 clothes for women and 180,000 clothing for children.

''To date, more than 245,000 blankets, 104 tonnes of high protein biscuits, 2,120 sq metres of tented warehouses, 5,000 family tents, 36,500 tarpaulins together with a forklift truck and other food and medical supplies are in the logistics pipeline to the Red Cross operational base in Bhuj,'' Patro said.

In terms of medicare, the Finnish/Norwegian emergency response team has set up a referral hospital equipped to carry out sophisticated surgeries and with a capacity of 350 beds, about one km from Bhuj.

The Belgian Red Cross medical team has located their hospital about 130 km east of Bhuj while the Japanese Red Cross medical facility has been set up in Sukhpur village, 11 km from Bhuj.

A 400-bed Danish government hospital, has been set up at Gandhidham to cater to the needs of the nearby areas.

The IFRC appeal had elicited a positive response from all over the world, with the Red Cross and Crescent societies of some one hundred countries offering help. The Iranian Red Crescent has sent 1069 family tents and medical supplies while the UAE has sent 150 tents, 3000 blankets, shoes and clothing.

The Red Crescent Society of Pakistan had also extended assistance while China had offered to send across a multi-disciplinary team.

UNI

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