The State health department, caught napping for long with the dengue menace going on unabated, their role being restricted to dishing out figures of the afflicted of the vector-borne disease, swung into vigorous action on Tuesday after Chief Minister Harish Rawat launched a drive himself in the slums of the city earlier in the day. Seemingly alarmed over the menace spreading its tentacles apace across the city and its suburbs, the CM has rolled out intensive plans to stamp it out effectively.
However, the residents say that the health department officials went for the vigorous fogging without alerting them beforehand. “We did not get time to close the doors and the windows. We fear that the dreaded mosquitoes left in the houses are not affected to the desired extent. If things are so situation would be more serious in the coming days,” runs the common critical refrain.
State health officials say that they had readied a 300- member strong teams to take on the menace head- on. Each team will approach at least 50 houses a day, they say, adding that SGRR has agreed to form 50 such teams for the purpose. Each team would comprise ward member/public representative, civil defence and health department officials. They will visit houses and educate the residents about how to check the mosquitoes from breeding in their houses. In case things warrant fogging inside the houses, the teams would go for the same, the health officials say.
The officials further say that in case they find water accumulated in the localities they would have it rightly drained through the use of pumps. In case the area wants in the required drainage facility they would sprinkle malatheon to kill the germs.
They say that rain occurring everyday is stopping the mosquitoes from getting conducive atmosphere to grow. Once the rain stops things might turn graver, needing extra efforts on their part to stamp them out.
It is learnt that the health department has released Rs 13 lakh to the departments concerned, engaged in such drives. As per the rough estimate, a fogging machine costs around Rs 2000.The department has decided to procure 300 such machines, costing them Rs 6 lakh. Besides, the ASHA workers, engaged in the works, will be given Rs 300 each per day.
Talking to The Pioneer, a health departmnt officer admitted that things have assumed such serious proportions principally due to the lack of coordination among the departments concerned. “For instance, while Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD), supposed to take care of sanitation, has failed miserably to rise to the occasion the role of the health department in imparting right treatment to the afflicted once they are found Dengue positive is also far from satisfactory,” he said. He said that rain occurring daily, the water logged areas are being spared the mosquitoes deepening their stranglehold on such areas. “We must be more cautious once the rain stops as the mosquitoes would breed faster then,” he warned. He further said they are focused on Haridwar too aside from Dehradun. “The number of patients down with Dengue is rising fast. The figure now stands at 58. 100 teams would be constituted and sent there as we are doing now in Dehradun,” he added.
An observer points out that intensive fogging being held in the city is driving the mosquitoes to the fringes, leaving the latter more vulnerable to the Dengue menace.