MC begins drive to check dengue in city

Tribune News Service
Patiala, May 1

The Patiala Municipal Corporation has started a drive to make use of larvicide treatment in the city to tackle dengue while officials of the Health Department have already found dengue larvae at over 52 places already. This is while Patiala was on top of lists for dengue positive cases in 2018. Corporation officials said they had made plans to address the issue and are yet to begin issuing chalans where the dengue larvae are found.

According to official records, the district reported 2,332 positive dengue cases last year. Dengue larvae were found at about 10,000 places while the corporation issued merely 617 chalans.

The part of control and prevention of dengue comes under the ambit of Municipal Corporation (MC). The corporation has to prevent water-logging in open spaces and vacant plots during rainy season. The problem is rampant in rainy season and leads to dengue breeding sites all across. The corporation currently has four fogging machines of which three are used and one is kept on stand-by, catering to the whole city consisting of 60 wards with a population of about 5-6 lakh. As per Sudesh Pratap Singh, health officer of the MC, the machines are of an optimum quantity to cater to the whole city.

Dengue larvae was reported from as many as 10,000 places last year. This year, the practice for issuing chalans for them has not started yet. Officials said there were no separate plans for tackling water collection in empty plots. “We will do larvicide in empty plots. If the problem persists we can issue chalans only,” the health officer said.

Meanwhile, the residents have started complaining about mosquitoes. They said, “There are vacant plots in our area. Mosquitoes have tend to become more active but the MC has not started the fogging yet.”

Corporation commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira said, “We have planned on measures to be taken for dengue. We have also bought new fogging machines. Moreover, it is important for us to sensitise the people to dengue larvae and conditions that are favourable for it so people can prevent it themselves. We have to ensure that water does not get collect at open places.”