12 O’ Clock (Part XII)

Bittu asked, naughtily, “Import is over. What is the facility for export?”

I told him, “This is also a good query. It is a very difficult activity during calamities. Some or the other disease spreads due to animal and human filth present everywhere. Doctors visit such places in camps to control the diseases. People make sheds near drainages. Men visit these places. Things are more difficult for ladies. For them, separate room-like structures are made without roofs. Temporarily, Indian commodes are placed close to drainages. The arrangement is such that a rush of water can clean the commodes. During calamities, the common toilets get broken and they are repaired in a hurry. One half of used tender coconut is utilized by the kids of 6-7 years, for this purpose and the half is disposed in the drain. Smaller kids are given broken coconut shells and they are disposed by their parents in the drain.

I continued, “Bleaching powder and phenyl are dropped near the drains. Since the drain cannot be cleaned properly, one or the other epidemic definitely occurs. The people, supplying food to the calamity-stricken people, burn coconut fibers and shells, in the evening to keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay. Still, at least one of them returns with some infection. Sanitation is a big issue during calamities and we all need to address it during normal times. The government should take some steps to solve these issues and they do it often.”

To be continued…