With the mercury soaring and a harsh summer imminent, inmates of the Kollam District Jail are bracing for a major crisis.
The jail with a capacity to house 173 prisoners now has 253 inmates and the threat of water shortage and a possible disease outbreak looms large.
Making do with a tanker load of water provided by the district corporation at present, the situation is expected to go from bad to worse as the summer peaks.
“With the supply from Sasthamcotta Lake shrinking to hardly 30 minutes a day and the well running dry, we will be facing a severe water shortage. As summer sets in the crisis will intensify,” sources said.
Though attempts had been made to sink a tube well, the construction had to be stopped midway owing to technical issues. Later, the jail authorities approached the adjacent Government Town UPS for digging a well on the school compound that would benefit both parties, but the proposal was rejected by the Education Department.
“It is the only option we have as digging another well within the jail premises is impossible. Since both the school and the jail are facing acute water scarcity, it is an advantageous option for both the departments,” the source said.
The correctional facility on 54 cents is strewn with buildings, both old and new, with hardly any open space. The infrastructural flaws are many, the lack of recreational space topping the list.
“The jail has no proper reading room or library and it doesn’t have any common space where we can conduct training and counselling sessions. The CCTV cameras are not working for almost a year now.”
Since the inmate count is well beyond capacity, each room is shared by 12 to 15 prisoners and the dormitory meant for 30 has 12 extra occupants. Waste management is another issue as all types or organic waste cannot be taken to the biogas plant inside the jail. A total of six chickenpox cases were reported in the last couple of months and two inmates diagnosed with the disease are kept in isolation now. But the health officials who inspected the jail on Friday felt the chances of the disease spreading were high.
“The jail is overcrowded and there are some sanitation issues to be addressed. Maintaining strict personal and environmental hygiene is important as we don’t have an option of evacuating the inmates. Fumigation is also not possible because of high walls and grilled spaces. Both the prisoners diagnosed with chickenpox were administered antiviral medication and we will be visiting the jail for follow-ups,” said a health official.
Though there has to be a doctor and pharmacist at the jail according to norms, the jail lacks both.
