Urban News

The Pioneer  25.08.2010

‘Dengue a trend which repeats every 4th year’

Sana Shakil | New Delhi

The recent surge in the dengue cases in the national Capital this year is due to a cyclic trend, which repeats itself once in four years. According to Municipal Health Officer NK Yadav, this is the 4th year and thus cases of dengue are in surge.

“Every viral disease has a cyclic trend and dengue viral has a four-year cycle during which the disease assumes dangerous proportions. This year, the number of cases being recorded is high as the disease follows its cycle and this is the 4th year,” said Yadav. Earlier, in 2002 and 2006, Delhi had experienced similar kind of situation.

On Tuesday, 43 patients were tested positive for dengue in the Capital and with this, the total number of cases has reached 496. Half of the total dengue patients are said to be in the age group of 15-30 years.

According to MCD statistics, last year till this time, the number of dengue cases was only three. The figure was 60 in 2008 and 15 in 2007.

Out of the 43 cases, eight cases have been reported from MCD South zone, followed by six each in Central zone, Shahdara (North) and Civil Lines zone. Among the total 496 cases so far, 392 have been reported from MCD areas, 73 from NDMC areas and the rest were from other parts of the city and outstation cases. MCD South zone reported the highest of 102 cases closely followed by Central zone with 90. Authorities have assured that officials are doing their best to curb this menace and extra staff has been appointed to look into the issue. Earlier, the appointment of extra staff used to take place in June, but this year it was appointed in April itself.

“We have already advertised on television, radio, set hoardings at various public places like Metro stations, railway stations, bus stops and other places. Public announcements are also being made to create awareness,” said Yadav.

He said even schoolchildren are being given dengue homework cards to help them know symptoms and steps to prevent the disease.

Yadav added Delhiites are suffering more because of the unhealthy conditions prevailing in the city, but mosquitoes are breeding in their homes as well. “We require their co-operation,” he appealed. Municipal authorities had earlier served notices to 45,532 residents and organisations after dengue larvae were found breeding openly in homes, back-lanes, drains and on roadsides.

With hardly 39 days left for the Games, dengue has become a cause of concern for the authorities. What is more worrying is that even during October, the Capital can see the high prevalence of dengue, as, according to health officials, the city is prone to the disease until November.

The Hindu       25.08.2010

Water shortage, sanitation dominate GMC meeting

Staff Reporter

— Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

HEATED EXCHANGES:Congress and TDP councillors embroiled in a war of words at the general body meeting of GMC held in Guntur on Tuesday.

Guntur: Corporators cutting across party lines have vented their ire against Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) officials blaming them for the water shortage and appalling sanitary conditions prevailing in the city.

Raising the issue at the general body meeting held on Tuesday, Guntur East MLA Sk. Mastan Vali said the GMC has failed to ensure equitable distribution of water to all households, including many in One Town.

Clarifying on the issue, Municipal Commissioner Ilambarithi said the city did not have an effective water distribution network.

He assured that a slew of innovative measures to be taken up in 6-8 months, would ensure equitable and pressurised supply of water.

The GMC would make use of hydraulic model incorporated in the Union Government's Service Level Benchmarking (SLB) project and rationalise supply of water. Rationalisation had already begun from Nallacheruvu area, he said.

A main distribution line was being laid from Takkellapadu filtration plant to Nehru Nagar railway gate, which would pump water to HLR, Gujjanagundla and Stambalagaruvu reservoirs.

The second pipeline would pump water from BR Stadium reservoir to LB Nagar and Srinivasarao Thota reservoir, the Commissioner added.

Later, the MLA raised the sanitation issue and said heaps of garbage was being strewn on Ponnur Road in spite of GMC having a dumping yard.

He also found fault with GMC for doing away with night sanitation drive which was started in 2008.

Mayor R Mohan Sai Krishna clarified that dumper placers belonging to GMC have been depositing garbage at the dumping yard located 15 km away from the city and blamed the owners of function halls for throwing garbage.

He said a proposal to levy user charges from function halls to collect waste was on the cards.

Many Congress corporators, including Balatripura Sundari and Md. Noorjahan, wanted the GMC to hire the contract sanitary workers.

Mr. Ilambarithi shot down the proposal to hire more sanitary workers and assured that door-to-door collection would be made more effective.

Admitting that the existing tricycle system failed to bring the desired results, the Commissioner said autos, with two trays segregating bio-degradable and non bio-degradable waste, would be procured with the grants of 13th Finance Commission.