— Photo: T. Singaravelou

MEDICAL CAMP: A woman undergoes health check-up at a camp organised by the Army team at Semmankuppam in Cuddalore district.

CUDDALORE: Army personnel are carrying out rehabilitation works in full swing in certain flood-hit areas in Cuddalore district. A medical team from the Military Hospital, Avadi, is also camping here to attend to the affected people.

Edwin Raj, Major, Madras Regimental Centre (Wellington), told The Hindu that for the third day on Tuesday the personnel were busy rescuing the marooned people, setting right the damaged roads and meeting the basic requirements of the stranded persons.

The personnel were executing tasks assigned to them by the district administration. Since the interior villages were fully inundated, the personnel had to reach the people only by boats.

But it was not smooth sailing, because all paddy fields had become marshy lands, and hence, they had to push the boats for half the distance.

The shuttle boat services were being run in circuitous routes, and hence, it took unusually long time, say four-and-hours where it would otherwise take hardly an hour during normal time.

The Major said the Army personnel, all good swimmers, had come equipped with life jackets and lifebuoys, but there had not arisen any need to put these devices into use.

The inundated habitations at Mettupalayam, Semmankuppam, Palaiyur and Alapakkam had become infested with snakes that climbed on to the roofs when there was strong current. As these areas were still surrounded by water, reptiles' stay put there, causing panic among the residents.

On the request of the people of Alapakkam a king cobra of six feet was killed on Monday. The Major pointed out that these people went without food, water and electricity for three days. The power connections were to be restored in certain hamlets.

An Army helicopter was doing sorties, airdropping food packets in the affected areas. Following a mishap in which one Sekar of Manjakollai sustained spinal injury when a food packet fell on him, the defence personnel, to be on the safe side, were airdropping the food, including biscuits and bread, in fields to be picked up by the people in the neighbourhood.

A. Juteja, Medical Officer, Military Hospital (Avadi) said the medical camp set up at Semmankuppam was screening on an average 100 patients daily. Most of them were suffering from flood-related ailments such as fever and cough.

Certain persons who were diagnosed for heart ailments would be referred to headquarters hospital.

The team had brought medical supplies, and it was being complemented from the district administration. It had told the local bodies to clean up the overhead tanks and use water-sterilizing tablets, Mr. Juteja added.

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