To eliminate mosquito breeding sites prior to the monsoon, civic body holds meeting with major landholders and follows it up with inspections, notices within a fortnight
To eliminate mosquito breeding sites prior to the monsoon, civic body holds meeting with major landholders and follows it up with inspections, notices within a fortnight
Having learnt its lesson from last year, when a record 20,000 malaria cases were reported in the city due to the large-scale presence of breeding sites, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)u00a0 is gearing up to nip the menace in the bud this time around. The civic body had held a meeting with five of the largest landholders in the cityu00a0-- the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), National Textile Corporation (NTC), army, railways and slum dwellersu00a0-- a fortnight ago and asked them to ensure no breeding grounds for mosquitoes existed on their premises.
u00a0
Better safe than sorry: The BMC is painstakingly taking measures to
ensure all possible breeding grounds for mosquitoes are eliminated before
the monsoon this year. representation pic
Following up on this meeting, insecticide officers have begun to visit these sites and have even slapped notices on those who are not following the norms. "From last year's experience, we have learnt that the best way to control the spread of malaria is to eliminate the presence of breeding grounds. We want to ensure that the elimination happens before the Monsoon hits the city and have asked all stakeholders to take the necessary measures. Even a small hole full of stagnant water can be a breeding ground," said BMC's Executive Health Officer Dr G T Ambe.
"We haven't just sent out circulars and conducted a meeting. Officers from our insecticide department have begun undertaking regular inspection of the sites and notices have been sent to those who have not started work on the elimination of breeding grounds to do so immediately," he added.
Railways
According to BMC officials, the railways were not paying heed to the suggestions made by the civic body initially. In fact, MiD DAY had reported on April 24 ('Parel's malaria workshop') how the railways' workshop at Parel provided the perfect setting for mosquitoes to breed. However, they say, work has begun in earnest after the BMC shot off a letter to the railways.
NTC
The NTC began acting on the BMC's suggestions immediately after the meeting. "The NTC has already started work on eliminating breeding grounds in Gulmohar Mills, Finlay Mills and Tata Mills. The trenches, which could have proved to be a goldmine for mosquitoes, are being filled," said an insecticide officer. Action has also been initiated by the army, he added.
MbPT and slums
The MbPT authorities have identified dilapidated buildings on their land, which are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and have even floated tenders for razing them.u00a0The biggest problem faced by the BMC, however, is of eliminating breeding grounds from slums. It had failed in doing so properly last year despite community health workers going door-to-door to ensure water does not stagnate in the houses.
"This year, we are roping in councillors and NGOs active in different areas to ensure that we get easy access to the slums to demonstrate how the residents can eliminate potential breeding sites. Residents are being taught things like how they can install corrugated sheets on the houses' roofs in such a way that water doesn't accumulate on them," he added.
Dr Arun Bamne, chief insecticide officer, BMC, said, "Most of the authorities have heeded our suggestions and have begun acting on it. We want them to have mosquito-proof tanks and have asked them to remove all articles from their premises, which have been lying unused and can serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. We have sent reminders and notices to the authorities and a follow-up meeting with the stakeholders will be held soon so that a status report can be taken."
The civic body is also in talks with the airport authority. "Tyres and other articles on the airport premises can turn into breeding sites when it begins to rain and we have asked the authorities to get rid of the articles or store them properly. Even places where digging work is being conducted are dangerous and our team is visiting all these sites regularly," added Bamne.
Number Game
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cases of malaria and 3 deaths were reported in the city in April this year
BMC Norms
> Leaks should be plugged
> Articles in which water can stagnate, like utensils, buckets, tyres etc have to be either disposed off or stored properly
> Buildings that are not being used anymore and those in a dilapidated condition should be razed as they can be breeding grounds.
Ready, set
The BMC has decided to have 450 extra beds in the 16 peripheral hospitals and three major civic hospitals in the city --Nair, Sion and KEMu00a0-- keeping in mind ailments like malaria and leptospirosis, cases of which see a spike in the monsoon.
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