The Times of India  25.08.2010

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will not carry out compulsory influenza H1N1 vaccination drive in the city.

The PMC's in-charge medical officer R R Pardeshi said on Tuesday, "The Union government has not issued any directives in this regard. The PMC or the state government will not carry out a compulsory vaccination drive in the city."

State chief secretary J P Dange had convened a meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday to decide about the vaccination programme. Municipal commissioners and health department officials across the state were present for the meeting.

PMC corporators have been demanding that the PMC undertake H1N1 vaccination programmes for citizens and hold awareness drives.

"Soon, two new companies will be bringing out H1N1 vaccines into the market and it is up to the citizens to decide about taking the same," Pardeshi said.

Municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade had on Monday told corporators in the general body meeting that there was no second wave of the H1N1 virus in the city. As of now, around 50 swine flu patients are admitted in Pune hospitals, of which only 13 are from within the PMC limits. Till date, the number of H1N1 deaths within the PMC limit is 115, including five from the cantonment areas.

"It is being wrongly projected that the city is assailed by the virus. We need to consider the fact that many of the patients being treated here for swine flu are from other parts of the state," Zagade had said.

The Times of India  25.08.2010

PANAJI: Failure of a large number of sewage treatment plants in residential complexes and the consequent discharge of untreated sewage into paddy fields, nullahs and other open spaces is increasingly becoming a public nuisance in the state.

Sources in the town and country planning department told TOI on Tuesday that complaints of untreated sewage being discharged into public places are increasing before the department from village groups and individual citizens. There are no records of such complaints yet, but TCP sources said STPs installed in "gated communities" in Goa are "failing frequently."

The large residential complexes in Goa are always installing sewage treatment plants in accordance to regulations prescribed by the TCP department. But once the developer moves out and hands over the complex to the society or the residents' association, the problem crops in, if the sewage treatment plant fails. Maintenance of STPs is expensive and if the collection of funds from members by the society or association is lax, then repairs of STP suffers. The untreated sewage is then discharged into public places thus causing public nuisance.

Unfortunately, after the occupancy certificate has been issued to the complex, neither the TCP nor the planning and development authority (PDA) have any control over the complexes. Only municipal corporations or municipal councils and health services can do something about the problem.

Although the Goa public health act does have provisions empowering the health department to act against such problems but the provisions are very inadequate. Complaints to the health department and even to the Goa state pollution control board do result in inspections and reports but not much else. The problem persists, sources said.

That is why the government must step in now in public interest and seriously address the problem. Some legal framework is needed so that one centralised authority is made accountable and given powers to handle this problem, sources said. In fact, the Goa state sewage corporation that appears to be non-working presently, could be roped in to fill this role and in co-ordination with the health department, Goa state pollution control board or municipal council, enforce regulations.

Sources in the TCP said that the wholesale aversion to mega projects in Goa is partly due to the growing problem of untreated sewage from large complexes flowing into public places. The government could well to address the problem and assuage an angry public, sources said.