SDMC Commissioner issues advisory to stop mosquito breeding

Expressing deep concern over the lukewarm response of the Government agencies, offices and institutions in taking measures to stop mosquitoe breeding in their premises, South Delhi Municipal Corporation's (SDMC) Commissioner Dr Puneet Kumar Goel has issued advisory stressing upon the need to prevent mosquito breeding at any cost as there is no specific treatment; vaccine against these diseases.

Concerned over increasing cases of vector borne diseases in the national Capital, Goel has requested the administrative heads and office bearers of market associations and RWAs to ensure that overhead tanks, containers should properly kept covered with lid, water tanks of cooler should be repainted and pads be changed, all coolers should be scrubbed and cleaned once a week and mopped dry before refilling.

He advised that one tablespoon of kerosene oil, petrol be put into those coolers that cannot be emptied. “The central cross checking teams of” National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme”, “National Institute of Malaria Research” and SDMC have been reporting high aedes mosquito breeding from various Government offices, schools and certain residential colonies,” he stated.

The Commissioner has also reminded the administrative heads to nominate nodal officers to ensure effective measures to curb the menace. He also stated that the public health department has been working hard to facilitate general public in prevention and control of vector borne diseases. “Wherever mosquitoes breeding or environment conducive to mosquitogenic conditions will be found and failure to take specified preventive measures are noted the concern authority/individual will become liable for action,” he said.

It may be pertinent to mention that under Delhi Municipal Corporation (Malaria & other vector borne diseases) bye-laws, 1975 allowing mosquito breeding, creating mosquitogenic conditions and failure to take specified preventive measure against the same are punishable. On detection of repeated breeding besides legal notice, challan, police complaint may be lodged under Section 269 IPC, he stated.

The cases of malaria have reached to 173 while 107 cases of dengue reported this season so far with 17 cases reported last week. Also, 62 cases of chikungunya have also been reported in the city, according to the report released by SDMC.