Municipal officials have discovered that a maximum number of mosquito larvae are being detected in slum clusters and unauthorised colonies that do not have a piped water supply. The residents have no choice but to store water in drums as the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) tankers come only twice a week. The stored water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes, causing dengue and chikungunya.
Inspecting huts in north-east Delhi’s Mallik Pur near Kingsway Camp, Domestic Breeding Checker (DBC) Rakesh Raja says that most larvae are found in the big drums that the residents keep outside their houses to store water.
‘Locals are wary’
“The residents do not allow us to put medicine in the drums, saying that the water is for drinking and household chores. They do not mind getting bitten by mosquitoes and getting dengue and chikungunya. What can you say to people who do not get water for days and have to depend on stored water for their survival?” says Mr. Raja.
The latest inspection report of the DBC workers in the three corporations show that areas such as Mahavir Enclave, Sangam Vihar, Dabri, Rajapura Village, Dhaka Village, Laxmi Nagar, Sagarpur Village, Indira Kalyan Vihar, and Kalander Colony near Bhalswa Dairy — all of which have JJ clusters or unauthorised colonies — top the list of places where most larvae have been found.
At risk areas
In north Delhi, 68 out of the 93 sites from where mosquito breeding was spotted in the last two weeks, were in slum and unauthorised localities. In east Delhi, the figure stood at 94 out of the total 118 cases. Figures from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) were not available.
Shashi Kumari Yadav, a 43-year-old resident of Palam village in south-west Delhi says that they get all their water from DJB tankers, which come only twice a week. “To sail through the rest of the days, we have to store drums of water for drinking, cleaning and cooking,” she adds.
“When the tanker comes, my three daughters and I stand in queue for almost an hour to fill the drums. How can we just throw it away and allow them to poison it by putting chemical medicines into it,” Ms. Yadav asks.
North Delhi Mayor Preeti Agarwal says that during inspections of the slum colonies in her area on Friday, she found several people relying on stored water for their daily chores, which is putting them at risk of contracting vector-borne diseases.
“Water is a basic necessity and if the Delhi government does not even provide that, then how can we eradicate dengue and chikungunya? These people are completely helpless,” she adds.
This year, cases of dengue and chikungunya were reported earlier than normal and have already hit an alarming high. Till July 29, 118 cases of dengue and 140 cases of chikungunya have been reported.