Hospitals in Indonesia's flood-hit capital were grappling with an influx of children suffering from diarrhea, authorities said yesterday as they fanned out to devastated areas to disinfect against the spread of disease.
"We are overloaded here," said Caroline Kawinda, a spokeswoman for Koja Hospital, which was treating 128 young patients from neighborhoods that had been inundated by water.
"We're very, very busy," she said.
PHOTO: AP
Seasonal downpours last week caused rivers to break their banks in some parts of Jakarta, a sprawling metropolis of 12 million people, covering half the city in black, smelly water in the worst floods in recent memory.
At least 94 people were killed, most drowned or electrocuted, in Jakarta and its two neighboring provinces, Banten and West Java, said Suprawoto, who works with the national disaster agency. Like many Indonesians, he uses only one name.
Waters have receded with a break in weather, allowing tens of thousands of displaced people to return home for the first time this weekend to clear away mud and debris, many finding that almost everything was lost.
"My home and everything in it was washed away," said Titi Komala, a 38-year-old widow and mother of three.
"Now everything is gone and I can't do anything about it. If I had money I'd move, but I have nothing," she said.
High water levels had prevented sanitation officials from picking up the garbage that piled up in the streets in many neighborhoods, mixing with the floods. Roads have been transformed into massive swimming pools for many youths.
That has intensified fears about diseases, with the government saying besides diarrhea, three people have contracted leptospirosis, a potentially fatal disease borne by water contaminated by rat urine.
Doctors are treating people for respiratory problems and skin diseases, but so far no cases of tetanus or other serious waterborne disease have been reported.
"My two-year-old son has been suffering from diarrhea for days now and he also has a rash," said Mimi Santi, adding that water in her home was at one point neck-high, forcing the family to move out for days.
"My husband also has been vomiting," Santi said.
"But at least we're back home now, so maybe the family can get better," she added.
Dozens of fire trucks were deployed yesterday to spray disinfectant in hard-hit areas, and nearly 200 trucks and heavy machinery were being used to shovel and remove tonnes of mud and garbage beneath sunny skies.
Cleaning liquids were being distributed so residents could clean their floors, and they were also given chemicals to purify water for drinking.
Tunisian President Kais Saied yesterday condemned a European Parliament resolution on human rights calling for the release of his critics as “blatant interference.” The EU Parliament resolution, voted by an overwhelming majority the day before, called for the release of lawyer Sonia Dahmani, a popular critic of Saied, who was freed from prison on Thursday, but remained under judicial supervision. “The European Parliament [resolution] is a blatant interference in our affairs,” Saied said. “They can learn lessons from us on rights and freedoms.” Saied’s condemnation also came two days after he summoned the EU’s ambassador for “failing to respect diplomatic rules.” He also
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
Sri Lanka made an appeal for international assistance yesterday as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with another 130 reported missing. The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes, sending almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. DMC Director-General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief operations had been strengthened with the deployment of thousands of troops from the country’s army, navy and air force. “We have 123 confirmed dead and another 130 missing,” Kotuwegoda told reporters in Colombo. Cyclone Ditwah was moving away from the island yesterday and
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
RSS