Kolkata: New Town, Salt Lake launch drive to prevent dengue

KOLKATA: With monsoon having already arrived in the city and spells of rain raising fear of dengue this season, New Town and Salt Lake authorities are taking up steps to fight the disease. While the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) will engage an agency to provide mosquito control measures in New Town for a one-year contract, the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is taking up dengue prevention measures in Salt Lake like conducting door-to-door surveys and cleaning the canals.
BMC officials said that this year not more than 30 to 35 dengue cases have occurred in overall Bidhannagar area including Salt Lake and Rajarhat since January so far but they are not taking things lightly as it is from June to November that most dengue cases occur.

According to civic officials, around 200 persons had been affected by dengue in entire BMC area last year with no death reported, which was quite low compared to 2019 when over 2,000 persons were affected. Over 20 persons have died in BMC jurisdiction area from 2016 to 2019. BMC officials said door-to-door survey has been started this month to find out if anybody is suffering from fever or any other dengue or Covid-related symptoms.
“We are planning to release guppy fish in the canals like which we do every year and boating will be conducted to clean up the canals to prevent any stagnant accumulation of water. Larvicide will be sprayed on the corners of the canals,” said BMC board of administrators member Pranay Roy.
Civic authorities said that they have been short of manpower to conduct vector-borne disease prevention drive equally across all 41 wards of BMC due to the ongoing Covid pandemic but they would continue with such measures.
In New Town, NKDA is to engage an agency to prevent vector-borne diseases through spraying of larvicide and fogging for a one-year contract with NKDA.