The Hindu       18.07.2016 

Is there a link between water supply & dengue?

Is there a co-relationship between irregular water supply and outbreak of dengue? The District Health Office thinks so and has urged the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to ensure regular water supply to certain localities to remove the need to store it as it could lead to breeding of mosquitoes and outbreak of dengue.

Senior officials in the Health Department told The Hindu that one of the factors for the rise in dengue cases in the city could be attributed to the storage of water in large but open containers due to irregular supply.

“Citizens are forced to store water in plastic vessels, cement tubs and in various other containers and these containers have become a breeding place for mosquitoes,” said the officials.

Department officials, who went around the city educating people about the dos and don’ts and the imperatives of reducing water storage, were told of the practical difficulties faced by them as water supply is irregular.

“People ask us to supply drinking water every day if they have to stop storing the water in containers such as plastic vessels and cement tubs,” the official added.

S. Chidambara, District Vector Borne diseases control officer, told The Hindu that the practice of storing water was widely prevalent in Hebbal, Shanthinagar, Kalyanagiri, Udayagiri, Ghousia Nagar etc. which, incidentally, are also the places which are susceptible to the outbreak of dengue.

Meanwhile, the Health department had written to the MCC to supply water particularly to these areas on alternative days at least till September as the chances of outbreak of epidemiology diseases would be high during the interim period.

The Health Department said that it would be difficult to prevent the spread of the disease until regular water supply is ensured.