The Chennai floods of 2015 and the health system response

Abstract

The Chennai floods of 2015 were a calamity of unexpected proportions (1). The impact on the lives of the poor has been immense. Thousands needed to abandon their already precarious dwellings on the banks of the Adyar River, and other low-lying areas for temporary shelters. The differential experience and impact of disasters on different segments of the population helps understand the dynamics of sociopolitical structures and supports.

Ethics and Floods: A Systematic Review

“…24 This benefits others by preparing people for floods and thereby reducing harm and injuries. 25 Communication breakdowns have serious consequences, contributing to needless damages and losses, 24 and can contribute to anxiety. 13 Poor communication can lead to confusion and conflict between responders.…”

“…38 Flood management requires technical knowledge but is incomplete without ethical knowledge to maximize public goods, minimize flood harms, and make flood mitigation and management systems fair and equitable. 1,25 Ethical reflection develops the capacity to act responsibly toward others, particularly the vulnerable. 13,38 Some organizations, like the Red Cross, use specific ethical principles to guide ethical reflection that also takes an account of contextual details.…”

“…Better preparedness was widely held to bring better responses, generating an ethical obligation to prepare well so that communities and facilities become "resilient, responsive, and adequately equipped." 25 In contrast, poor flood risk management has harmful consequences, 40 such as when commercial and bureaucratic interests are placed over individuals' well-being. 41 statutory bodies should manage risks, and that those living with flood risks should conform to whatever others decide.…”

“…25 Floods are particularly challenging with health risks because of displacement, waterborne diseases, release of sewage and pollutants into water, and diminished access to fresh food and water. 8 Justice overlapped here with its concern for vulnerable populations, such as those in wheelchairs, elderly living alone, those with mental illnesses, 25 and particularly the poor. 23 Safety is related to harm and should be central to flood risk management.…”

Trend of morbidity and mortality of dengue in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, South India

“…The heavy rainfall generated by the northeast monsoon resulted in 2015 South Indian floods; worst hit was Chennai city, the capital of Tamil Nadu. 9 This environmental change gave rise a suitable temperature for the breeding of mosquitoes which led to outbreak of vector borne disease; dengue. However in 2016, there is a drastic fall in the morbidity from 4535 to 2531.…”