Indian Express 31.08.2010
Dengue, water shortage make MCD shelve fountain plan
Ayesha Arvind Tags : health, dengue Posted: Tue Aug 31 2010, 03:57 hrs
New Delhi: If everything had gone according to plan, several drinking water fountains would have come up across the city to make a splash just in time for the Commonwealth Games.However, like the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s other brainwaves — including the installation of designer street furniture, new-look telephone booths and sleek info kiosks — this one has also ended up becoming a non-starter. It was part of MCD’s Rs 27-crore streetscaping project.
While the city doesn’t have any public drinking water fountains, its parks and public plazas have 818 ornamental ones. Though they were installed at a cost of Rs 14.95 crore, only 89 of these are currently in a working condition. But the MCD has promised to “beautify” the 729 non-functional water fountains across all municipal zones with “potted plants, etc,” in time for the Games. “All such non-functional water fountains, which fall in zones near Games venues, will be beautified soon. We will put potted plants etc, around these to give them an aesthetic look,” an MCD official said.
The authorities said the “shortage in water supply in Delhi, inadequate manpower and the recent threat of spread of dengue” were the main reasons behind the decision to drop drinking water fountains from the plan.
“As the city has been facing a shortage of water supply, these units will not get enough water. In most of the areas, residents resisted the construction of such structures to prevent the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue,” an official said.
To prevent mosquitos from breeding in water fountains, health authorities are likely to introduce larvae-eating fish in them.
