The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : TWAD Board response to tsunami `impressive'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 19, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

TWAD Board response to tsunami `impressive'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 18. The State Government and the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board have come in for praise from World Health Organisation (WHO) expert, Thomas F. Clasen, for their "quick and effective response" in the post-tsunami situation in meeting drinking water needs of the affected people.

WHO study tour

A lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Mr. Clasen, who was here on a tour commissioned by the WHO to study the response mechanism of water supply and sanitation system in the tsunami-hit India and Sri Lanka, told reporters here recently that he was very much "impressed" with the way the authorities tackled the situation.

Immediately after the tsunami, packaged water was distributed to the victims and later the community was mobilised to take care of the supply made through tanks.

Within a few weeks, the TWAD Board restored piped water supply.

These measures prevented the outbreak of any diahorreal disease.

The study was necessitated as a few persons died of the disease in the affected nations.

Mr. Clasen said the study covered Indonesia and Thailand too and it was being carried out by another expert.

A report, containing the findings of the two experts, would be prepared by the end of May.

Waste water treatment

Radha Rajagopalan, Director-Medical Education of Apollo Hospital, Chennai, said the low percentage (30) of waste water being treated before disposal was one of the contributory factors for the occurrence of water-borne diseases in Indian cities.

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