Even when all efforts from the concerned agencies seem just right, yet the count of dengue cases in the Capital continue to climb up the ladder. Ironically, civic agencies in the city have over Rs 150 crore at their disposal to tackle mosquito-borne diseases, still the total number of dengue affected people in Delhi stood at an alarming 2,557 cases till Thursday. With three reported deaths and thousands attacked already, the dengue wave has visibly pushed Delhiites into severe panic mode.
The three Municipal bodies have engaged 3,500 Domestic Breeder Checkers (DBCs) to get fogging and inspections done, but to no avail. While the South and North Delhi Municipal Corporations (SDMC & NMC) have nearly 1,300 DBCs, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has deployed 900 of them to curb any further spread of the disease. Sustained awareness drives by the Corporations also seem to have done no good to tame the menace. North Delhi alone has witnessed over 1,200 cases and apart from the three deceased, MCD reports suggest that six casualties are being investigated as cases of suspected death due to dengue. South Corporation has registered 653 cases till now and 585 cases were reported by East Corporation. Besides, 69 cases have come to light in regions outside the jurisdiction of the three MCDs.
Moreover, with the number rising by hundreds on a daily basis, one is forced to raise serious doubts about the credibility of the allotted funds lying with the three Corporations. Both the SDMC and NMC have received `73 crore each to fight against vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya, whereas EDMC has over `4 crore for the same. “We have allocated `73 crore this year to prevent, protect and treat diseases such as dengue and malaria. Meanwhile, we have deployed nearly 1,300 DBCs to carry out regular fogging which is carried out from 6 am to 10 am and 5.30 pm to 9 pm,” said Mahender Nagpal, leader of House, NMC.
Going by the trend where 400 new dengue cases were reported in the past three days only, people now fear a horror situation similar to 2010 where over 6,000 cases were reported. “The situation is very grim in the city. In our colony itself, every member of two families have been affected by dengue one by one. Civic agencies woke up to the cause late. They take actions only once cases start being reported to them. They should rather take preventative measures not just in peak months, but throughout the year,” said Madhu Grover, a resident of Rohini. Even as Corporations make tall claims of cutting down on holidays of its workers, the scenario is far from improving. While 1,131 cases were reported in 2011, the number of dengue patients in the city last year was 2,093. Till September 30, a total of 2,124 cases had been reported by the civic bodies.
While cases in Rohini zone now touch 500, Shahdara (North) and Shahdara (South) zones saw 276 and 289 cases, respectively. Narela (213), Najafgarh (210) and Civil lines (213), too, had a high incidence of dengue. The three Municipal Corporations yesterday launched a sanitation-cum-cleanliness drive in their respective zones with a view to maintaining a healthy environment and combat dengue.