Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday that six health officers would be deployed in each panchayat to ensure that there was no outbreak of communicable diseases as the flood waters receded and the focus shifted to relief and rehabiliation.
The State government would distribute 36 lakh textbooks free of cost to school children who had lost their books in the floods, he added.
Trains partially restored
Transport and train services were partially restored on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kottayam-Ernakulam stretch, with the KSRTC plying services to Pathanamthitaa for the first time after water engulfed several parts of the district. Trains were packed with flood-affected people moving to the houses of friends and relatives.
According to an official statement, 156 lorry loads of essential goods were sent from the State capital to Alapuzha, Pathanamthitta, and Thrissur districts. The materials were collected at various collection centres in the capital district.
Over 12,000 tonnes of essential commodities were airlifted to Chengannur, Alapzuha and Pathanmthitta by 10 helicopters. The airlifting operations were concentrated on areas which continued to be inaccessible.
Control room
The Health Department opened a control room in the office of the Director of Health Services to coordinate the functioning of various medical camps and prepare for the possible outbreak of contagious diseases.
Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said the control room would be the nodal point for addressing issues related to medicine supply and deployment of personnel.
She said temporary primary health centres would be opened in Thiruvalla and Pathanamthitta.