The Union Health Ministry has approved a grant of over Rs 18 crore under the National Health Mission (NHM) for disbursing to village health, sanitation and nutrition committees in flood-ravaged Kerala.

The ministry had earlier said it is extending all support to the relief measures in the flood-battered state, where 3,757 medical relief camps have been set up. "Health Ministry approves additional grant of Rs 18.71 crore under #NHM to #Kerala for disbursing to Village Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Committees for #KeralaFloodRelief, as per State request. #SwasthaBharat @JPNadda," the Ministry's twitter handle said.

As the floodwaters began to recede, people from relief camps started returning to their homes even as over 10.40 lakh of them remain in 2,770 camps across the state. The heavy rains and flooding has claimed 231 lives since August 8 in the second spell of the monsoon. Union Health Minister J P Nadda had earlier said no outbreak of communicable disease was reported from the flood-hit districts of Kerala.

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has issued health advisories to support the state in meeting with post-flood public health management challenges when the threat of water borne, vector borne and viral hepatitis diseases becomes potent.

In a statement issued earlier, the ministry had said 65 metric tonnes of emergency drugs for flood situation were airlifted by the Indian Air Force to Thiruvananthapuram while one crore chlorine tablets were sent and another one crore are in transit. The total request of four crore chlorine tablets will be met in phases, it had said. The ministry had further mobilised 20 MT of bleaching powder.