With tons of garbage and filth lying on the streets of East Delhi, the national Capital continues to stink and faces health hazards as the civic body that is responsible to clean the mess has turned a blind eye towards this never ending civic problem. Fearing a health crisis due to accumulation of water and garbage, residents alleged that Corporation's apathy is the main reason behind the mess. "Officials are least bothered despite the stark reality of an outbreak of vector-borne diseases looming large", say harried residents.
During and after the monsoon, water logging and overflowing drains are common sights on streets in various residential areas which provided an ideal breeding condition for the mosquitoes, say residents.
Khureji Khas, Bhajanpura, Kanti Nagar, Krishna nagar, Jagatpuri, Jhilmil, laxmi Nagar, Geeta Colony and Shahdara area are the worst affected. All the major and minor drains are choked and that has further added salt to the wound as it causes water logging. Stagnant water is conducive for mosquitoes breeding.
According to estimates, around 2,500 MT garbage is generated everyday in East Delhi. Residents alleged that poor garbage lifting and apathy of the Corporation to deal with the menace is the main reason of their plights.
Ankush Kumar Kanaujia, a resident of Jagatpuri said "It is difficult to even cross the road because of piles of garbage lying all-around on the main road leading to Jagatpuri market. Waterlogging is perennial here and the civic agencies have turned as blind eye. We have now stopped complaining as all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears, said an exasperated Kanaujia.
"We had approached the authorities several times but all the efforts went in vain. People here are forced to live with nauseating stench emanating from piles of garbage as officials just refuse to listen to our problems," said Shivam Sharma, a resident of Krishna Nagar.
lamenting the pathetic attitude of civic officials, Vibhor Gupta, a lawyer and resident of Geeta colony said that drain passing through locality is full of garbage and thus leading to water logging in the colonies. "Agencies should clean it before monsoon to avoid possible danger of vector borne diseases. The most intriguing aspect of this terrible mess is that the choked drain is situated in front of Municipal Corporation's office," he said.
Utkarsh Arora, a resident of Shahdara said "I have never noticed any garbage lifting truck in my area till now. They must be collecting garbage in nights that is why it went unnoticed. It has now become a challenge to survive in such an unhygienic condition.”
However, a top EDMC official claimed that the corporation has taken every possible step to clean the garbage. "A full-fledged awareness drive through distribution of pamphlets and plying of vehicles carrying loudspeakers, announcing dos and don'ts, has been launched for prevention of vector-borne diseases," he said.
The municipal corporations of Delhi remain among the worst performers in the country when it comes to sanitation. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation was ranked at 196 in Swachchh Survekshan-2017.
The number of Malaria cases has shot up alarmingly to 113, of which 40 cases were detected this month. Of the 113 people suffering from malaria, 62 belonged to Delhi, while 51 of the cases diagnosed in Delhi were traced to other States. While dengue cases have reached close to 100. The number of chikungunya cases recorded in the city stood at nearly 150 (till June 24) which 11 were recorded in June as per the data released by the Municipal Corporations on Tuesday.
Though the season of vector-borne diseases had ended in December, the city continues to report such cases, prompting authorities to prepare a roadmap for the combat plan. The season for the vector-borne diseases begins from mid-July and generally lasts until November.
Delhi High Court had repeatedly rapped civic bodies in the Capital over their failure to remove garbage from 'dhalaos' (local collection centers), saying it was a major contributor to breeding of mosquitoes. The court had directed all the three municipal corporations and the city Government to ensure that vector borne diseases were kept in check and sanitation in the city was maintained. "The ground reality remains unchanged and the same story of officials' apathy is repeated every year and citizens are doomed to fend for themselves" said Jyoti Sharma, a resident of Jhillil area.