U'khand seeks 100 tonnes of bleaching powder

The Uttarakhand government has requested the Central government for 100 tonnes of bleaching powder to help dispose the carcasses of animals killed in the recent floods, a health ministry official said here on Sunday.

Director-General of Health Services Jagdish Prasad said that the request was made at a high-level meeting with Uttarakhand officials attended by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

A large number of mules and horses, used to ferry pilgrims to the holy shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath, perished in the Uttarakhand flash floods together with hundreds of pilgrims and visitors.

He said that Central Health Ministry teams have been sent to all 13 districts of the state, but as of now no threat of epidemic has been detected.

Three central public health teams have been posted to Uttarakhand and are deployed in the affected areas of Chamoli and Joshimath, he said.

A two-member public health team from Delhi has reached Dehradun and has been placed at the service of the state health authorities.

The incessant and intense rains that hit Uttarakhand over three days from June 14 triggered flash floods and landslides, leading to hundreds of deaths, while hundreds more are missing.