Makeshift camps hotbed of viral infection, water-borne diseases

Amid the trauma of losing their homes and belongings, families displaced from the Yamuna floodplains are now battling a new ordeal inside temporary relief camps—an acute shortage of medical care and the looming threat of disease.

- ASHISH SRIVASTAVA @ New Delhi

In the makeshift shelters, inadequate facilities and poor sanitation have left people vulnerable to infections, water-borne illnesses and vector-borne diseases, raising fears of an outbreak. At one of the largest relief camps in Mayur Vihar, a tent marked as a medical unit stood nearly deserted. A small bag of medicines lay unattended, with no staff in sight. Civil defence volunteers claimed a separate facility had been arranged for healthcare, but residents said little help was available. "My elderly mother has been sick since last night, but she has not received any help here," said Sumit Kumar, who moved into the camp with his family two days ago.