The chances of people getting infected with mosquito-borne diseases including dengue, malaria, zika virus, chikungunya among others intensify during monsoon and post-monsoon season. The mosquitoes spreading these diseases breed in stagnant water and therefore, it is advisable to avoid any accumulation of water in the vicinity. To check the outbreak of dengue, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has launched an extensive drive. As part of the drive, the civic body health officials are visiting structures that remain closed and without maintenance.
So far, Borough 10 of the KMC has been identified as the most vulnerable area for the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease. The municipal corporation has also initiated a drive against the vector-borne diseases to prevent outbreak of dengue and malaria that have in the past claimed several lives in the city.
Recently, the team of civic body visited a locked house at Raipur Mondal area in Ward 99 of the KMC. Since nobody was staying in the house for long which has been locked, the KMC workers had to use a ladder to climb up to the terrace of the building where they spotted two overhead water tanks with their covers open. The water tanks were covered by the civic body officials to restrict it from becoming a potential breeding ground of mosquitoes.
“The house has remained locked for long. We did not know how to conduct a dengue drive here since access to the place was not possible. I’ve informed the police, vector control team of KMC, lightning department, parks and squares department. Ladders were arranged and the workers went up to the roof,” Councillor of the ward, Debashish Mukherjee, was quoted as saying by The Statesman.
The fear was visible among residents. “People were affected with dengue in our area earlier and we don’t want it to happen again. While our area particularly has not witnessed a dengue case till now, but people have been affected with the disease in the adjoining areas. We had no clue that such open tanks were on the terrace of this building,” a resident was quoted as saying by The Statesman.
Meanwhile, KMC Deputy Mayor and member Mayor-in-Council (MMIC), Health, Atin Ghosh held a meeting with officials of Borough 10. According to the sources to The Statesman, the Borough has been identified as the most vulnerable since the number of dengue cases is high in this area.
Commenting on the same, the MMIC, said: “A Borough meeting was called where we discussed measures that need to be immediately taken to prevent any further dengue cases in the five wards of this Borough.”
Atin Ghosh further added, “We are adopting a three pronged tactics that includes cleaning of waste by conservancy workers. A file has to be maintained, and money for the purpose needs to be used from councillor’s fund or Borough chairman’s fund. Secondly, the locked houses that are lying without maintenance and have no residents to look after them will be accessed by KMC workers. The locks will be broken and cleaning will be carried out. We have provisions in the KMC Act to access such properties. The keys will be kept with us. Any officer found disobeying orders will be suspended.
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