The total number of cases of malaria in Delhi has reached to 191 till July 20 this year with 33 fresh cases reported in last week. While the number of patients afflicted with dengue has reached 132. The number may go up as all three civic bodies claimed that they will not be able to spray insecticides and implement other measures to control mosquito breeding due to shortage of funds.
The city has also witnessed eight new cases of Chikungunya, taking the total number to 49. However, out of total cases of malaria, 85 cases diagnosed belong to the neighbouring states while 111 patients suffering from dengue traced in Delhi belong to other states.
All the three corporations have found mosquito-breeding in at least 43,587 households and 42,807 legal notices have been issued this year. Last year, 2,798 dengue cases and four deaths were recorded by the SDMC, which tabulates the data on vector-borne diseases in the city.
Leaders of municipal Corporations have blamed the Delhi Government, saying that it is making corporations virtually “deadwood”. “The politicization of fund allocation is all against the basis of devolution of funds between states and urban local bodies of Delhi. As per the recommendation of Delhi Finance Commission, it may be recalled that Delhi Government sanctioned grants to SDMC as per the recommendation of 3rd DFC,” SDMC Mayor Sunita Kangra recently said while staging a sit in outside residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“The original mandate of 3rd DFC was till 2011 but due to non-implementation of recommendations of 4th DFC, Delhi Government continued to allocate the funds as per 3rdDFC,” she said.
Meanwhile, doctors have advised people to use mosquito repellents, wear clothes which cover full body and avoid places that are more prone to the diseases. According to the SDMC, 10 people had died due to dengue in Delhi in 2017, of which five were not residents of the national Capital. Overall,
the vector-borne disease had affected 9,271 people in the city last year.