In order to curb vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, the Health Department of the Delhi Government has asked the municipal corporations to amend the building bylaws making it mandatory to include the provision of cleaning water tanks. The department wants stairs leading to the water tanks to be built so they could be easily inspected by officials.
At a meeting convened last week, it was decided that to stop the breeding of larvae, the water tanks should be cleaned on a weekly basis and the lid of the tanks should be covered with wire mesh. The municipal workers have also been asked to inspect whether there is water collection in and around the area, which is the breeding ground for the mosquitoes. Currently, there are no mandatory provisions for building of stairs to reach the water tank so it could be cleaned. Due to this, a majority of water tanks on rooftops are not cleaned regularly, leading to vector-borne diseases.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had conducted surveys on several buildings between January and March this year, to inspect presence of active larvae there. The dengue mosquito larvae were found in at least five per cent of the surveyed sites. What made the findings particularly worrying was that some of these were active, not dormant.
The areas where the larvae were spotted are Connaught Place, laxmibai Nagar, Kidwai Nagar and Netaji Nagar. In these areas, they were seen in overhead tanks and containers. In Moti Bagh, Feroz Shah Road MPs' flats, Tilak Marg staff quarters and Talkatora Road; covered tanks were found studded with mosquito larvae. The report was submitted to the Health Department.
According to the statistics of the Health Department, from February to August, 71 dengue cases have been reported in the Capital. Senior officials admitted that dengue, being a seasonal disease, arrives with the rainy season and the authorities have mostly failed to curb the disease. last year, NDMC had issued challans to residents for stagnant water collected in their overhead tanks. The officials also recommended the Health Department to make changes in the tank covers to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.