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Bahraini humanitarian Fatima Al Mansoori, who is in Kerala offering love, support and comfort to flood-hit families living in temporary camps or trying to restore their water and mudslide damaged homes, has hit out at critics who suggest the traumatised victims do not need help.
More than one million people remain sheltered in 3,274 relief camps in the Indian state, even as rains that killed 373 people, have finally abated.
Indian health authorities said they were focusing on preventing the spread of waterborne disease and the danger of poisonous snakes that have sheltered in unoccupied properties as people fled to safety.
As highlighted in last week’s issue, Fatima, 35, cancelled a planned university yoga course to rush to the area to assist. She was stunned by criticism of her call for support claiming the victims were ‘rich’ enough to help themselves.
“Well I have not seen that the people are rich,” she said, “but what I have seen is that many people need help, they need support. There are thousands of people who are living in camps right now and they can’t wait to get back to rebuild their homes.”
Several expatriate associations in Bahrain, in solidarity with the flood victims, cancelled all celebrations of Onam and Eid and launched donation drives. The Indian Club even set up a committee to co-ordinate relief activities, collecting essential materials like blankets, clothes, dry food and medicines and The Asian School Bahrain Alumni also launched an aid drive with donors being asked to drop items at the school’s reception.
Fatima, although receiving mostly positive support for her actions, described the negativity she had also encountered as ‘sad and very pathetic’. “I just want to say that we thank everyone,” she said. “I consider myself now one of the Kerala people – one of the Keralite family now affected – and we thank you for all your generous support and don’t listen to these comments – please keep helping, please keep the support coming and please understand that there are many people suffering and they need your support. Thank you.”
The reduction in rainfall has helped rescue workers to set about trying to retrieve any bodies. At least 1,000 people are still missing from five villages around Chengannur, one of the worst-hit districts.
“The biggest challenges immediately ahead are cleaning the flood-hit houses, rehabilitation, and prevention of water-borne diseases,” said Mahesh P., a village-level officer from Rayamangalam, some 45km from Kerala’s financial capital of Kochi.
Within three days of the flood waters receding in several parts of Kerala, the Angamaly Little Flower Hospital saw 53 patients, all admitted after sustaining snake bites.
They were from different regions such as Ernakulam, Vypin, Vadakara and Paravur. Many suffered snake bites while they were cleaning their homes after the water had receded, and most of them sustained bites from vipers.
The state has recorded an increase in the number of snake bite cases due to the flood waters leaving behind reptiles, scorpions, centipedes and worms in houses that were water-logged. And doctors predict that this number is set to increase as more people leave relief camps to clean and repair their homes.
In Aluva, 35 snakes were found inside one property alone after the family reunited after five days of separation.
The monsoon months coincide with the breeding season for reptiles. In one cycle, a viper can lay up to 60 eggs and cobras 30. All vipers, including the babies, have a concentrated amount of venom in their bites. Cobras are great swimmers and can move quickly in water.
Unfortunately it would appear Fatima has also discovered there are some nasty snakes of the two-legged variety on social media happy to leave venomous messages.
l Editor’s note: The Indian Club’s Kerala Flood Relief Committee is collecting essential materials like blankets, clothing, dry food and medicines to forward to the area and helping to coordinate financial aid to a Disaster Relief Fund. For details, contact the club’s acting president Thankachan Vithayathil on 32230600 or convener Mohamed Hussain Malim on 39666354 or the Indian Club on 17253157.
