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Public Health / Sanitation

MCC dealing with mosquito menace

Wednesday, 09 June 2010 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India      10.06.2010

MCC dealing with mosquito menace
MYSORE: If the MCC's experimentation to contain growth of mosquitoes is a success, the city could notch one up in its health indicator.

The city that is rated the second most cleanest urban area in India in a nation-wide survey on Wednesday embarked on a journey to control the growth of mosquitoes.

It has now offered the fingerlings that feed on mosquit larvae to the citizens who can let them into water bodies in their localities so that diseases such as malaria, dengue and chikungunya can be contained effectively.

Mayor Sandesh Swamy formally released the larvae-eating fishes on an experimental basis at Karanji Lake. Thousands of newly-hatched fingerlings of gambusia and guppy, the two commonly known larvae-eating fish breeds are being released into Kukkarahalli, Dalvoy and Lingambudhi lakes. In about a fortnight, common carp, another variety of larvae eating fish, will be released into the lakes.

According to the mayor, the biological control of mosquitoes will be taken up as an experiment and if it is effective it will be taken up in a big way. Such a method is adopted following success at neighbouring Mandya district. The first three stages of mosquito larvae are aquatic in nature and the MCC is seeking to control their growth at the primary stage with the help of fishes. These fishes grow to a maximum of one inch. The MCC health officer Dr T S Nagaraju said these fishes are not fit for human consumption.

The civic body scheduled the drive now as it is during pre-and post-monsoon days that the mosquitoes breed owing to stagnation of water. These fish breeds the larvae of aedes aegypti that spreads dengue and chikungunya and anophelese mosquitoes responsible for malaria. According to the officials, fish fingerlings will survive since they are fast-breeders.

The fingerlings are given free of cost at the Peoples Park. An official stated that the larvae breed in stagnant water like storage tanks, wells and containers. They are also found in gutters owing to rainwater.
 

Dark days for Night Food Street; kiosks shut shop

Friday, 04 June 2010 09:56 administrator
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Indian Express  04.06.2010

Dark days for Night Food Street; kiosks shut shop

Khushboo Sandhu Tags : food court, Night Food Street Posted: Fri Jun 04 2010, 00:18 hrs

Food

The Night Food Street opposite PGI. Sumit Malhotra
Chandigarh:  The first of its kind project of the Municipal Corporation — the Night Food Street — is dying a slow death. Of the eight kiosks on the street, two have become vacant.

While one of the owners winded up his business a few days after the auction this January, the other stopped functioning a few days ago. At least three of the remaining owners have not paid the monthly rent for the last few months. The Municipal Corporation has served notices for non-payment of the monthly rent to these kiosk owners.

One of the main reason is the high rent. For the first time since its inception in 2008, the civic body had auctioned the kiosks this year. Against the reserve price of Rs 31,000, the kiosks were auctioned at prices between Rs 500 to Rs 1.21 lakh per month. Going by these figures, the total earning from the eight food kiosks for a year was calculated to be around Rs 81.96 lakh.

We paid a hefty security to the Municipal Corporation after the auction. We were told that this would be returned only if we run the kiosks for three years. Now most kiosk owners are not paying the monthly rent and are contemplating giving up the kiosks,” said one of the kiosk owners.

The Corporation might have earned a handsome profit through the auction and was looking at earning a large amount of money every month, the project lost the very essence with which it was started. 

Former Mayor Harjinder Kaur, during whose tenure the project was conceived, says, “The concept of Night Food Street was inspired by the Food Street in Lahore. The aim was to revive traditional concepts. It had to be a common man’s eating place that would also give a taste of tradition in an economical budget. Making it a purely commercial venture was not correct.”

One of the kiosk owners, who is still functioning, says, “We have paid six months rent in advance. I am waiting for the six months to get over and will then decide whether I would want to continue or not. The rent is too high and we cannot break even. In comparison to the heavy rent we pay, the facilities are very poor.”

The high rentals have ensured that the price of food items have sky rocketed. The Food Street was placed near PGI and Panjab University to cater to the students and attendants of patients. While the food available at PU and PGI is subsidised, the food on this street is expensive.

Another kiosk owners says residents are not ready to pay high price for food offered under the open sky. Whether it is extreme summer or rains, people prefer to stay away. Lack of hygiene is another big issue.

Former Mayor Pardeep Chhabra in whose tenure the project was inaugurated says, “The project was started with the aim to provide some source of livelihood to the unemployed youth. It was not meant to be a commercial venture. The decision of auction was not correct. Most kiosk owners are not paying rent and are gradually shifting out.”

MC Joint Commissioner T P S Phoolka says notices have been served to the kiosk owners. The future course of action would be decided soon.

Last Updated on Friday, 04 June 2010 09:59
 

Civic body, hospitals gear up to fight dengue, malaria, gastroentritis

Friday, 04 June 2010 09:37 administrator
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Indian Express  04.06.2010

Civic body, hospitals gear up to fight dengue, malaria, gastroentritis

Anuradha Mascarenhas Tags : Dengue, Malaria, gastroentritis Posted: Fri Jun 04 2010, 01:26 hrs

 Pune:  With the city having buckled under a volley of diseases during the last monsoon, particularly swine flu, the civic authorities are keeping their fingers crossed.

While the health department registered a total of 240 swine flu deaths, officials at National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune Municipal Corporation and Sassoon General Hospital said it is still a wait-and-watch period. People have been exposed to the virus and so far there is no sign of any significant mutation. However, the transmission is still under way, said Dr M S Chadda, Deputy Director of NIV.

Dr R R Pardeshi, chief of medical services at PMC, said there are a fewer cases of swine flu coming in. “Still we will keep our screening centres functional, set up 120 beds at Naidu Hospital and have instructed private hospitals to report cases to PMC,” he said.

People are also suffering from dengue and malaria, especially in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Dr Milind Jawale, Medical Officer, national health programmes in Pimpri Chinchwad, said there were 616 cases of malaria from January till December last year and till May this year 128 patients have been treated for malaria. Dengue fever was recorded among 679 patients last year and till May this year there have been 34 cases.

Dr Sadashiv Patole, in-charge of the insect control department at the PMC, has started ‘gate meetings’ at cooperative societies to prevent dengue and malaria. He said there were 170 cases of dengue and 137 of malaria in the city last year. This year till April, there have been 14 cases of dengue and 40 cases of malaria. As part of our preparedness campaign, we have put up banners in the city and tried to inform citizens via the electronic media to refrain from storing water for more than five days at their homes, he said. 

Even as dengue and malaria have become endemic to the city, Dr Rajesh Gadia, consulting physician, KEM Hospital, said diseases like gastroentritis, cholera, jaundice, typhoid, diahorrea and dysentry are common during the monsoon.

“We have also started getting cases of chikungunya from Hadapsar,” said Gadia. Seasonal influenza and monsoon related diseases are bound to increase during the rains and the only way to avoid viral attacks is to be prepared, said Dr Pallavi Bhargava, infectious diseases specialist. “We examined as many as 369 dengue patients at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital last year,” said Bhargava.

According to Dr S T Pardeshi, Assistant Medical Officer of Health, PMC, there were 458 cases of gastroentritis and 108 of diahorrea in PMC limits last year.

Doctors and hospital administrators have also had their hands full at Sassoon Hospital.

“We saw 191 cases of dengue (10 deaths), 28 of acute hepatitis (5 deaths), 45 cases of typhoid and 259 of malaria (17 deaths), said Dr P S Pawar, medical superintendent.

The count

Pimpri (till May this year)

Dengue: 34

Malaria: 128

Pune (till April)

Dengue: 14

Malaria: 40

Last Updated on Friday, 04 June 2010 09:42
 
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