Varalakshmi Vratam hopes submerged in rain water

They wake up early in the morning, clean their homes before smearing themselves with turmeric paste and kumkum to perform Varalakshmi Vratam at the temple every year on this day.But this year, a grim reality awaited them. The locality of Madinaguda was submerged in flood water forcing its residents to stay indoors. “As I went down from my flat to visit the temple around 6 am, I saw rain water had reached the first floor of the apartment. I was unable to go out,’’ added N Santhakumari, a home-maker living in the Vaishnavi Apartments at Madinaguda.Similarly, 70 families staying in 20 apartments were forced to stay indoors in Madinaguda, Deepti Sree Nagar, Hafeezpet, and surrounding localities of Miyapur, as they were totally inundated with rain water with nearby tanks overflowing. As tank bunds have been breached by heavy rains since the past three days, overflowing water submerged the colonies since early morning on Friday.PV Krishna Rao, a resident of Yasodha Pearl told Expresso that as he went down to the basement to take out his car at 6.30 a.m, he found it overflowing with rain water.“I went out swimming on rain water to get a milk packet. After a few minutes, the entire locality was completely under water. I could not return home as the water force increased and I was unable to swim,” he said, as he sat near his apartment holding a milk packet.Most two-wheelers and fourwheelers parked in the basements of apartments were submerged.Residents in the localities had to call up their friends and relatives to know about the prevailing situation.“I came to know about it as my uncle called up in the morning and asked me to inform GHMC officials and police. After informing the local police, they refused to do anything so early in the morning. This is the first time I ahve seen a deluge totally inundating the locality,” complained S Kiran Kumar, busy enquiring about his relatives standing on the national highway at Deepti Sree Nagar.As soon as news broke out, electricity officials stopped power supply to at least 10 localities. GHMC officials also brought two proclainers to clear rain water by repairing underground drainage. They assured the locals they would bring back normalcy within two days.Meanwhile, a private cab in which five IT employees were travelling was washed away at Madhapur MMTS railway station bridge due to heavy rain water force coming from the nearby tanks. Kukatpally traffic police blocked the Kukatpally JNTU- HiTec city stretch as rain water overflowed on the streets near the Madhapur local train station. Traffic was diverted towards Hafeezpet.

Me, wading through the flood water at Deepti Shree colony in Madinaguda in the city as part my visit to cover the news

By Mouli Mareedu

Look before you buy that mask

Do you think all swine flu masks available in the market are medicated? Can they prevent you from the dreaded swine flu? With swine flu deaths increasing in the twin cities and in other districts of the state, the demand for swine flu masks is increasing and many prefer to wear them for protection against the H1N1 virus. However, all masks are not original and doctors warn against using fake masks which might create a new health hazard.It is believed the light-blue coloured masks available in the market are fake and cannot prevent from the flu virus. When Expresso visited various pharmacy shops located near the Gandhi General Hospital and Osmania General Hospital,  they had the fake swine flu masks on sale, which were not medicated and certified by authorities concerned. They were priced between Rs 60 and Rs120. “We have been selling swine flu masks since one year. We don’t know whether the masks are medicated or not. As there is a huge demand, we ordered more masks. We sell at least 200 to 400 masks per day for Rs 50 each,” said Ch Narasimha Rao, a medical store staff near the Gandhi Hospital.“There is no need for every one to wear the masks. If someone wants to wear them regularly, they have to change them every day. The N95 masks are medicated and expensive. Only the government provides these masks to doctors, nurses and para-medical staff working in various hospital departments, especially in isolation swine flu wards,” said Dr SV Prasad, superintendent of AP Government Chest Hospital. He advised people to wear masks certified by IS 2000 and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). But the masks would not be effective if one wears them for more than six hours. If you wear the same mask regularly, it would cause breathing problems. Dr Prasad urged people to be wary about fraudulent products for H1N1 flu prevention and treatment.He said the N95 masks, technically called respirators, work better than surgical masks which are certified by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The masks are deemed to provide specific levels of protection from body fluid and blood penetration. NIOSH has also certified that the N95 masks work against swine flu. The NIOSH has approved the Type N95 respirator to meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements and CDC guidelines for tuberculosis exposure control. Prasad said the mask, when properly used can filter germs from the breath and prevent spread of flu.Hyderabad district medical and health officer,  Dr Ch Jayakumari told Expresso they would look into the matter and alert staff to make thorough checks at medical stores.  “However, the selling of fake swine flu masks in pharmacies would come under the jurisdiction of the drug control administration and they have to take action,” she adds. 

 By Mouli Mareedu