Fear grips dengue ground zero
Even after 19 dengue deaths in Shaheen Bagh and Abul Fazal Enclave areas last year, little seems have to have changed.
The civic bodies counted 10 deaths and over 4,000 cases of dengue in Delhi in 2016. However, a Hindustan Times investigation showed 19 deaths in the two South Delhi localities alone.
According to municipal corporation officials, these areas, located next to the banks of Yamuna, are among the worst-hit localities in the city every year.
Although the officials claim that no case of dengue and chikungunya has been reported by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s health department in these pockets, residents claim otherwise and continue to live in fear of a dengue outbreak. They said that few cases of dengue have already been detected in the area.
Locals said that the municipal corporation has not learnt any lesson from past and has made no special arrangements for regular fogging. They said that the civic agency is still not working diligently and raises an alarm only after deaths are reported from here.
“So far, fogging has happened only twice in my lane and no one has come to check mosquito breeding inside houses. The sanitation condition is equally bad here,” said Farzana khatoon, resident of Shaheen Bagh.
Narrow lanes, no provision for proper storm water drains and high rise buildings in the area leave no scope for sunlight to reach the houses. These factors make such localites more conducive for breeding of mosquitoes.
In one such lane lives Abdul Qadir, who had admitted his daughter to Holy Family Hospital after she was reported diagnosed with dengue on Monday.
“We conducted all tests suggested by doctors. Though she was discharged on Tuesday, her case has not been reported by the MCD so far,” said Qadir, resident of Zakir Nagar.
Contrary to the residents’ claim, MCD health staff said that the residents don’t allow them to come inside the house.
“Half of the time we return empty handed as the people don’t let us go inside the house. Not just that, they misbehave with field workers and despite repeated warnings, they don’t take precautionary measures,” said a field worker.
Last year, the SDMC had issued legal notices to over 450 people for waterlogging in their basements. “The buildings are not just illegal but also have 10-feet deep basements,” he said.
According to area councillor Wajid Khan, though the dengue breeding checkers (DBC) are making best of efforts, paucity of number of adequate number of DBC workers is proving a handicap in covering the entire area.
“Also, we have one fogging machine and with this, it is not possible to cover all lanes,” he said. However, Khan accepted that being an unauthorised colony the sanitation job is not done properly by the MCD staff.
Taking lessons from the past, some families have been extra careful this year. “I have installed mesh gates in my house in addition to regular gates. Also with the MCD’s help, I arranged for fogging thrice in my home. I ensure that my kids don’t go out to play in evenings as well,” said Saqib Khan, a Shaheen Bagh resident, who lost his 14-year-old son to dengue last year. Clean and dry water coolers at least one in a week Put two tablespoons of diesel/kerosene/temephos granules in coolers which cannot be emptied Change water of bird pots, indoor plants/money plants, regularly Overhead and other water tanks should be covered by tight fitting lid. Put netcloth on overflow/air pipe Don’t keep unused containers, tyres, cups, broken utenstils, etc. in the open Prevention of mosquito breeding at construction site is responsibility of builder/owner
Use mosquito repellent sprays, creams, coils, mats or liquids Use insecticidal spray within the house at least once a week Both the mosquito-borne illnesses are spread by the same day-biting aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in clean stagnant water As per health official, the intermittent showers (this season) create conducive environment for the growth and multiplication of disease-causing viruses and bacteria Due to dengue, patient’s immunity power weakens Nearly 300 cases of the vector-borne disease were reported by city hospitals in the week ending on August 28, taking the total number of cases to 945. Of them, only 435 were from Delhi Delhi hospitals have reported 339 cases of chikungunya, which is less than the 432 cases that had been recorded during the same period last year