With puddles everywhere in Amritsar, how will authorities keep a tight rein on dengue?

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 3

A shower is enough to turn a small pit into a puddle thereby making it a breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes. And, several puddles have sprung up in various parts of the city due to the recent rains threatening to worsen the situation.

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The Health Department is issuing challans to those households, where dengue larvae are being detected, but when it comes to rainwater puddles that accumulate on the government administered and public land, there is no such provision to take action.

Accumulated rainwater can be seen on vacant spots in the Amritsar Improvement Trust colonies, including Ranjit Avenue, New Amritsar and Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar among others. Big potholes filled with rainwater can be easily spotted at Vallah Sabji Mandi, industrial pockets, known as Focal Point on the Mehta Road and GT Road, besides the underpasses of Joda Phatak (twin railway crossings). Deplorable condition prevails at underdeveloped localities such as Inderpuri, where people are putting up with insanitary conditions.

Kanwaljit Singh Pahwa, a wholesale fruit dealer, said despite vulnerability, ponds of rainwater can be spotted at the mandi. He said the authorities did not even bother to spray insecticides here. “Already, insanitary conditions prevail at the mandi. A shower is enough to turn kutcha space into slush and lower pockets into ponds. He requested the authorities to take swift action keeping in view the large footfall of farmers, buyers, shopkeepers and their employees. He said some shopkeepers were spraying insecticides at their own level.

Officials of the Health Department said they have already advised residents to pour burnt mobile oil or insecticides in these ponds or vacant plots near their homes, where rainwater accumulates and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes.