An epidemic outbreak following flash floods in Banke was something that was not unexpected. It will be highly unpardonable if the government fails to deal with the threat situation there. Paradoxically, while on the one hand, hundreds of starving people have been taken ill, on the other, the foodgrains are reportedly stuck and rotting at Achham district’s Sanfebagar airfield due to inclement weather. The intake of muddy water and exposure to incessant rainfall has led to the spread of cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea, flu, conjunctivitis and pneumonia. But what’s most hazardous are the places reeking of stench emanating from carcasses. If not cleared immediately, the nightmarish consequences are anybody’s guess.

Yet again the government has betrayed its true colours by miserably failing to anticipate the dangerous fallouts of annual floods. It deserves admonishing for neglecting to keep rescue teams on high alert. After all, the nation’s solidarity does not lie in mere rhetoric. Sentiments like compassion and concern for fellow-citizens take a severe beating during trying times such as this. Now that the number of patients is on a rapid rise, it is the establishment’s bounden duty to contain the toll with the involvement of the private sector also. The mobilisation of relief materials along with well-orchestrated medical help should go hand-in-hand. But most importantly, the discourse with respect to disaster preparedness and minimisation of casualties will have to leave the confines of plush seminar halls and will have to be actually seen in practicality in all the affected areas.