Hyderabad is stinking following the massive floods

The stench emanating from waterlogged homes is nauseating and people cleaning them are having a tough time as they simply cannot work continuously. For the last two days, volunteers and family members cleaning the homes state that the smell is unbearable.During the night, the stench gets worse as the continuously flowing water from lakes, sewage and storm water drains worsens it.The dip in night temperatures is also one of the factors aggravating the stench.People have dumped sofas, mattresses, clothes, utensils and wooden furniture outside their homes. Along with the water in the floods, there came jute bags, helmets, wooden toys and also sanitary materials which are now being removed from homes.Many items are stuck to the walls, furniture and along the steps as water flowed in. Mansoor Ahmed, from Baba nagar, says “It is difficult to work continuously.Despite wrapping cloths around our noses, we are still not able to work continuously.Women started crying and we had to keep them back at relatives’ homes as it was not possible to get them to do the cleaning.”Emotionally drained seeing the state of their homes, many have been unable to come to terms with the devastation.The Greater Hyderabad municipal corporation has deployed machines to remove the silt and collect garbage from outside homes.Packets of bleach are being distributed for spraying and cleaning.With electricity yet to be restored and no fresh water, cleaning has been difficult.Many are cleaning during the day time but the night is being spent at relatives’ homes.Till the situation improves, the families have decided not to shift back.Non-government organisations state that the help in terms of food, water packets and other household requirements is abundantly pouring in.There is a dearth of medical camps and that is strongly required.A non-governmental organisation has set up a team of paramedical staff to go from house to house with a testing kit.A few doctors have been stationed outside and they are checking those with fever and fungal infections.They have limitations as only 30 homes can be covered due to the muck and filth around.With more than 30,000 people affected and many others still in waterlogged colonies, there is a need for more focused outreach.