Thursday, January 6 2005 19:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: The Tsumani-affected areas face a threat of cholera outbreak once the water recedes and temperature in brackish water rises even as use of simple cloth-filtering in such areas can avert it, a noted international cholera expert said today (Jan 6, 2005).

"There is great danger of cholera epidemic with water receding and brackish water areas forming up. When water rises, the conditions will become conducive for growth of cholera organisms," Dr Rita R Colwell from the Canon US Life Science, who has researched on cholera for many years, told the 92nd session of the Science Congress in Ahmedabad.

As the temperature would rise, minute sea organisms called planktons would grow in the water. One category of these organisms is called zooplanktons, which carry the cholera causing bacteria "Vibrio cholerae".

When people drink water polluted with these planktons, cholera outbreak is likely to occur, she pointed out.

However, a simple intervention like filtering water by saree cloth could avert the epidemic situation, she said.

"Our experience among 133,000 villagers in 52 villages over a period of three years in Bangladesh has shown that there was 50 per cent reduction in cholera by use of saree cloth," she said adding where boiling water is not an easy option, use of saree cloth with four folds could emerge as a cheap tool for safe water.

Such a cloth creates a 20-micron filter, which filters out zooplanktons, she said.