KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has launched a major disinfection drive for the city’s slums, roads, hospitals, housing complexes, marketplaces and other places of that get crowded. The move follows requests from councillors of wards that have become Covid-19 hotpots.
The initial disinfection drive was launched around a month ago. The KMC solid waste management department had used tankers loaded with sodium hypochlorite solution to disinfect major thoroughfares, particularly on stretches that passed through vulnerable neighbourhoods.
As the tankers were unable to enter lanes and bylanes, manual spraying machines in backpacks were used to disinfect slums, households in the congested localities, markets and housing complexes. The civic body started with just 20 such machines. However, as the Covid-19 scare gripped large parts of the city and number of suspects grew, the civic brass ordered for more machines on an urgent basis.
According to sources, around 120 such manual machines are now being used for the disinfection work in 58 civic wards. With the state administration declaring newer Kolkata areas as Covid-sensitive, the demand for such machines has increased.
According to a KMC official, the task of disinfection with limited infrastructure had become an uphill one with frantic calls coming in from the ruling party councillors across the city.They were requesting to conduct disinfection drives in their respective wards. “Citizens are also asking us to include their neighbourhoods in our special drive. But at this hour we are unable to cover every locality of the city, owing to lack of infrastructure,” an official said.
The special drive, which had begun to cater to residents of housing complexes in areas where the state health department found Covid-19 positive patients, now has moved to slums, marketplaces and households in congested areas. “On Wednesday, the KMC SWM department brought large parts of south Kolkata under the special disinfection drive following emergence of covid cases. “We have brought some new zones under our disinfection drive. Some areas where we will be continuing our drives include Ballygunge, Kasba, Chetla, Behala, Garia, Patuli and those located off EM Bypass,” he said.
“Slums have become a major headache. We have intensified our drive in all major slums. Besides, we are carrying out such drives at markets in densely populated areas,” said a civic official.
KMC teams also covered SSKM, Shambhunath Pandit Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital NRS Medical College and Hospital, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and, Medical College Hospital during the week-long disinfection drive. However, a civic official conceded that KMC infrastructure and manpower at this crucial hour was not adequate to bring all vulnerable areas under the disinfection programme within a short span.
The initial disinfection drive was launched around a month ago. The KMC solid waste management department had used tankers loaded with sodium hypochlorite solution to disinfect major thoroughfares, particularly on stretches that passed through vulnerable neighbourhoods.
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This has, anyway, been a stressful month for everyone. Citizens should allow civic agencies to go about their job without putting any added pressure.
As the tankers were unable to enter lanes and bylanes, manual spraying machines in backpacks were used to disinfect slums, households in the congested localities, markets and housing complexes. The civic body started with just 20 such machines. However, as the Covid-19 scare gripped large parts of the city and number of suspects grew, the civic brass ordered for more machines on an urgent basis.
According to sources, around 120 such manual machines are now being used for the disinfection work in 58 civic wards. With the state administration declaring newer Kolkata areas as Covid-sensitive, the demand for such machines has increased.
According to a KMC official, the task of disinfection with limited infrastructure had become an uphill one with frantic calls coming in from the ruling party councillors across the city.They were requesting to conduct disinfection drives in their respective wards. “Citizens are also asking us to include their neighbourhoods in our special drive. But at this hour we are unable to cover every locality of the city, owing to lack of infrastructure,” an official said.
The special drive, which had begun to cater to residents of housing complexes in areas where the state health department found Covid-19 positive patients, now has moved to slums, marketplaces and households in congested areas. “On Wednesday, the KMC SWM department brought large parts of south Kolkata under the special disinfection drive following emergence of covid cases. “We have brought some new zones under our disinfection drive. Some areas where we will be continuing our drives include Ballygunge, Kasba, Chetla, Behala, Garia, Patuli and those located off EM Bypass,” he said.
“Slums have become a major headache. We have intensified our drive in all major slums. Besides, we are carrying out such drives at markets in densely populated areas,” said a civic official.
KMC teams also covered SSKM, Shambhunath Pandit Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital NRS Medical College and Hospital, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and, Medical College Hospital during the week-long disinfection drive. However, a civic official conceded that KMC infrastructure and manpower at this crucial hour was not adequate to bring all vulnerable areas under the disinfection programme within a short span.
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