Health volunteers to line pilgrims routes

NASHIK: Close on the heels of their study tour to Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra (Nabakalebara festival) in Puri, Odisha from July 17 to July 19, the officials of the district health department have made additional plans to ensure that the pilgrims visiting Nashik during the Kumbh Mela don't face any inconvenience. These plans include provision of health volunteers with first-aid kits along all routes taken by the pilgrims as well as pure water and good quality food to the visitors.
The senior officials of the district collectorate, health department, police department, Nashik Municipal Corporation and the police department had recently gone on a study tour to Puri to ascertain the facilities that may have been missed by the district administration for the Kumbh Mela.
The district health department has therefore planned on having health volunteers on all the routes that will be taken by the pilgrims by foot. The volunteers will be equipped with first-aid kits, including glucose powder, to provide relief to pilgrims suffering from general weakness and giddiness as the latter would have to walk or stand for hours before they reach the river banks for the holy dip.
Providing more details in this regard, district health officer Sushil Wakchaure said, "As many as 15 lakh people had come for the day-long Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri. In Nashik, the number of pilgrims would be huge where the mega event is spread over two months in Nashik city and Trimbakeshwar, with three shahi parvanis at each of the locations. While we cannot draw comparisons between Nashik Kumbh and the Jagannath Rath Yatra due to the geographical locations, the duration of the events and the availability of space, we have decided to provide additional health services for the pilgrims."
Wakchaure said that the health volunteers who would be available on the route of the pilgrims will carry first-aid boxes along glucose powder. Since the Mela falls in the monsoon season, focus would be to ensure that the pilgrims get clean drinking water.
The health department would soon begin conducting water tests on a daily basis. Offifials said that they were checking the sources from where the city got water supply as well as the places where it was supplied. The aim is to check the quality of water right from the source of the supply chain till the place where it finally reaches. Efforts will be taken to check water supply at all possible places in the city by way of collecting samples on a daily basis to test purity.
This will ensure that the pilgrims get pure drinking water. This will also avoid spread of water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, polio and jaundice due to consumption of contaminated water.
Nashik gets water supply from Gangapur Dam and Darna Dam, which is sent to six water purification centres before it reaches the households. Efforts would also to be taken to check water supply at all possible places in the city by way of collecting samples on a daily basis to test their purity.
Wackchaure said that they would also focus on the quality of food that will be provided to the pilgrims by NGOs. Officials said that many organisations would be putting up stalls at Sadhugram and other areas in the city to provide food to the pilgrims, who would be on their way to the river banks for the holy dip.
Notices will be given to all such organizations that would be providing food to the pilgrims.
Besides, there are also plans to increase the number of toilets on the pilgrims' route.
Wackchaure said that an additional facility of a 200-bed hospital had also been set up at Civil hospital, apart from the existing 550 beds in the hospital.