Recently, there was a cholera and dengue outbreak at Cutbona jetty in South Goa, that left over 100 people infected and claimed the lives of six migrant workers.
The outbreak was attributed to poor hygienic conditions, non-functional toilets, water contamination, and abandoned boats.
A joint inspection at Cutbona Jetty, South Goa, has exposed serious lapses by boat owners and government agencies.
Cholera is a disease that spreads through contaminated water and food, and thrives in conditions where these are present. Heavy rainfall can cause surface runoff to carry fecal matter contaminated with the Vibrio Cholera bacteria into bodies of water that people use for drinking.
Rainfall can increase the risk of dengue by providing more water for mosquitoes to breed in.
The most suitable temperature for dengue transmission is 28.7°C.
Floods can potentially increase the transmission of the following communicable diseases. Water-borne diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis and hepatitis Along with vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, and West Nile Fever tend to infect people due to flooding.
These are basic facts that are taught in schools. It is a well known fact that overflow of rivers can act as breeding sites for mosquitoes, and therefore enhance the potential for exposure of the disaster-affected population and emergency workers to infections such as dengue, malaria and West Nile fever. Despite knowing these well, our health authorities did nothing to take preventive measures to ensure that there's no outbreak of diseases.
Flooding may initially flush out mosquito breeding, but it comes back when the waters recede and become stagnant. The lag time is usually around 6-8 weeks before the onset of a malaria epidemic.
All this is happening due to global warming, which is leading to extreme weather events. Goa experienced excess rainfall in 2024, with some areas seeing flood-like conditions.
Goa received 173 inches (4,400.7 mm) of rainfall during the monsoon season, which was a 47% excess. This broke the previous record of 162 inches (4,121 mm) set in 2020. This situation is only going to worsen.
The government has to pay attention to the direct impact of climate change and health issues linked with it. Generally the focus of disaster mitigation is towards desilting of water bodies and rescue and relief operations in case of floods.
But equal focus has to be given to the impact of this on health, as it happened in Cutbona jetty.
The Covid outbreak that took thousands of lives a couple of years ago, should have made the authorities in Goa and across the country more conscious about health and hygiene. But it seems that no lessons have been learnt.
As usual, the authorities were caught napping. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who is also the TCP Minister, was busy fighting the fire triggered by the land conversion controversy, while the health segment remained neglected.
Not just water borne diseases. Climate change can have profound effect on human health in various other ways.
Warmer temperatures, heatwaves, and the urban heat island effect can lead to more heat-related deaths and illnesses. Older people, people with pre-existing conditions, and those with heart
disease are more likely to get sick or die in
extreme heat.
Climate change can worsen symptoms of heart and lung disease. Inhaling fine particles from wildfire smoke can lead to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cardiovascular disease.
Inhaling fungal spores caused by heavy rains can trigger more intense and frequent asthma attacks in people with asthma, especially during thunderstorms. Fungal spores can trigger allergic reactions or cause lung infections in people with asthma or weakened immune systems.
Climate change has been linked to poor mental health. Droughts can lead to farmers becoming
indebted, and exposure to heat can increase suicide attempts.
High temperatures are also associated with adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth and stillbirth. Ambient air pollution can also increase the likelihood of low birth weight and preterm birth.
There has to be proper policy on preventing epidemics that could occur in the aftermath of extreme weather events, which also includes droughts.
While focus is there on disaster mitigation towards agriculture, where compensation is paid to farmers who lose crops due to vagaries of weather, a similar approach needs to be there for those who suffer from health issues as a fallout of climate change. Is the government listening?