Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Public Health / Sanitation

Cleaning: City Corporation to Deploy 2,470 Workers on Sunday

Thursday, 13 February 2014 11:52 administrator
Print PDF

The New Indian Express             13.02.2014

Cleaning: City Corporation to Deploy 2,470 Workers on Sunday

With the capital city gearing up to receive several lakhs of devotees for the Attukal Pongala offering ritual on Sunday, the City Corporation is making the final preparations.

 Considering the huge amount of garbage that will be generated during the festival days, the Corporation has employed 2,470 workers, including 1,750 temporary and 720 permanent staff, for cleaning. Health Standing Committee Chairperson S Pushpalatha said that the cleaning activities would be carried out on the basis of 10 circles that come in the 20 wards which were announced as festival zones.

 The organic and plastic waste generated on Sunday will be carted away to pre-identified spots and will be buried there.

The waste materials will be taken away in 43 lorries. As many as eight water lorries and 25 water tanks have been arranged for the distribution of drinking water.

 A review meeting had been convened by Mayor K Chandrika on February 6 to evaluate the arrangements for Pongala. Organisations that offer food to the devotees during the festival should obtain permission either from the City Corporation or the office of the Food Safety Commissioner. Details of those who avail such permission have to be submitted to the police.

 It was also decided that the voluntary organisations that offer food to the devotees during the festival should process the garbage they generate on their own. Plastic disposable cups, plastic and thermocole plates should not be used. 

The Corporation has also formed a cleaning squad by dividing the staff into 57 groups to carry out the cleaning activities in the areas where the Pongala is offered.  A round-the-clock control room has also been opened by the Health Standing Committee on the temple premises.

 

Mosquitos not the only city insects that bite, says AMC

Thursday, 13 February 2014 09:33 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India             13.02.2014

Mosquitos not the only city insects that bite, says AMC

AHMEDABAD: Those irritating pink itchy bumps on your arm and foot may not be just caused by the stinging mosquito alone. Health officials claim that a large number of insects, like culex mosquitoes Culicoides, which are biting midges and show a stark resemblance to mosquitoes and white flies, have literally outnumbered disease-causing mosquitoes. The disease-causing female anopheles mosquito causes malaria and falciparum and Aedes aegypti causes chikungunya and dengue.

Early January till late February sees a literal explosion in the number of the Culicoides and white flies, which then disappear by the onset of summer. "Many mistake these nuisance biting insects for mosquitoes. Culicoides for instance does look like a mosquito but it's the brown spots on its wings and small mouth that distinguishes itself from the regular mosquitoes. In winter, malarial and dengue-causing mosquitoes are least active. They need a particular temperature to proliferate and be active," explains a senior health official in AMC.

In January this year, Gomtipur for instance, the mosquito density per room was calculated to be 10.25-all of these was culex mosquito which is not a vector for malaria, dengue or Chikungunya. In Sabarmati ward, if the insect density was 7.25 per room, 5 of those mosquitoes were culex and only one was the dengue-causing Aedes aegypti. In the following month in areas like Jamalpur if there were 13.5 insects per room, 12 were culex.

White flies, according to the health official, are found in huge numbers wherever there is dense vegetation like in Shahibaugh or near fields that grow castor or cabbage or other leafy vegetables near water bodies.

Areas like Sabarmati, Jamalpur, Lambha, Naroda Muthiya, Amraiwadi, Khokhra, Sarkhej and Kankaria are already seeing a large number of these insects.

"Our advice to residents in these high-density nuisance insect areas, is to use repellants and throw out water stored for more than two or three days. We have started surveillance activities in various wards before the next cycle of mosquito-related diseases begin," adds the AMC health official.

 

HUDA plans to hand over sanitation job to RWAs

Wednesday, 12 February 2014 11:53 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India             12.02.2014

HUDA plans to hand over sanitation job to RWAs

GURGAON: Following the TOI report on irregularities in some tenders for the multi-crore sanitation project in HUDA colonies, the authority is now planning to hand over the work to RWAs of respective sectors instead of giving the job to a private contractor.

Confirming the move, HUDA administrator P C Meena said, "I'm drafting a proposal to overhaul the entire system of sanitation in HUDA sectors. In a nutshell it will be given to RWAs willing to take over the responsibility."

Sanitation of colonies in HUDA sectors will be better managed if the RWAs take up the job, he added. For maintenance of parks HUDA already has the system of paying the RWAs who are doing a decent job.

As per the proposal, RWAs will be allowed to take up the work instead of contractors in the colonies. The authority officials are working out the eligibility details for RWAs to take up sanitation work.

"RWAs will work in a better way because sanitation affects them most. They can engage professionals or volunteers for the work and HUDA will pay them."

The biggest hurdle in allowing RWAs take up sanitation work is the finances. HUDA is yet to calculate the rates applicable for the system in which RWAs will be given the job.

"The rates will be decided in consultation with RWAs, size of the sector and block," said the official.

Residents have, meanwhile, hailed the authority plan to hand them over sanitation work.

Meenu Singh, president of Sector 3 and 6 RWAs, said: "If there is such a plan then RWAs will be willing to take over sanitation work. We are fed up with the private contractors." Involvement of RWAs will bring greater vigilance and work quality at the ground level. "We are already managing the parks and you can see their upkeep," she added.

The proposal will be sent to the headquarters within the next two weeks for approval, said HUDA officials. "Once the proposal is cleared, RWAs will be called for the meeting to prepare a roadmap for handing over the task," said the HUDA official.

 
More Articles...


Page 41 of 416