Dengue cases on the rise in Jalandhar, so is indifference towards cleanliness

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 15

Even as the cases of dengue are on the rise, the sanitary conditions continue to remain inadequate in most parts of the city.

Diseases due to stagnant water

Unsanitary conditions, especially sagnant water, are already resulting in various diseases. Now heaps of garbage, too, have become breeding grounds for flies and mosquitoes. — Gurjeet S Walia, Garden Enclave member

Residents complain that despite the fact that garbage dumps and stagnant water in several areas pose a constant threat to their lives, the Municipal Corporation seems to have turned a blind eye to their concerns. They said in the absence of proper waste management in the city, the dumps are getting bigger. “At Focal Point and Green Model Town, the sabzi mandis are being held over garbage, and the entire area stinks so badly, but no action is being taken,” they add.

They also complained about the huge garbage mounds at Wariana, the main garbage dumping point in the city, Chugitti, Model Town and at various vacant plots and thoroughfares. “Residents of all residential localities that are close to these dumps are the most affected. We don’t allow our children to go out and play on the streets or nearby park; neither we ourselves take the risk of standing out as the sanitary conditions prevailing here are taking a serious toll on our health,” says Daljit Singh, a resident of Sangam Vihar near Chugitti.

Another resident, Seema Bakshi, of Urban Estate Phase I, say such is the situation in their area that even the roads are covered with garbage. “The stray cattle squat on roads and near dumps, causing inconvenience to commuters as well as residents. The dengue fever has spread its tentacles, and the lives of residents are at risk, the MC must do something to improve the sanitary conditions in the city,” she stresses.

Ritu Kaura of Surya Enclave say: “A chunk of land left by the Jalandhar Improvement Trust for setting up multi-storey flats at the Surya Enclave extension has turned into a sewage pond. Besides, the empty plots close to it have been converted into dumping grounds, which has made our lives miserable”. She adds they are living under the constant threat of contracting dengue or other vector-borne diseases as the stagnant water in the pond and in the vacant plots have become a perfect ground for breeding mosquitoes.

Mayor Jagdish Raja say biomining of garbage has already started in the city. Residents are also requested to segregate dry and wet waste at their homes to make the task of the civic bodies easier.

Residents plan protest

Model Town area residents have already been protesting the dump in the locality for long. They suspended their dharna only after getting assurance from the MC. However, residents have decided to resume the dharna again as nothing has happened. Another society by the name ‘Garden Enclave Society’ has also announced protest if heaps of garbage at Sewerage Treatment Plant Pholariwal, 66 feet road near Curo Mall are not cleared.

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