To contain the threat of chikungunya and dengue, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Friday, flagged off a Mosquito Terminator train from New Delhi Railway Station. According to a corporation official, the move will substantially mitigate the threat of vector-borne diseases.
This special train will spray insecticide to sanitise the water bodies up to a distance of 50-60 meters along the tracks from New Delhi Railway Station, Hazrat Nizamuddin, lajpat Nagar, Sewa Nagar, lodi Colony, Delhi Safdarjang, Patel Nagar, Delhi Kishanganj Sadar Bazar and back to New Delhi on the first day and from New Delhi, Sadar Bazar, Sarai Rohilla, Patel Nagar, Delhi Cantt, Palam, Gurgaon and back to New Delhi on the next day.
A senior SDMC official said that this will be an annual exercise which facilitates the SDMC in spraying insecticides in the localities near rail tracks. It is expected that a large number of people, thus, would be protected from the vector-borne diseases.
Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Mayor of that SDMC said that under the joint initiative of the SDMC and the Northern Railway the insecticide will be sprayed on the both sides of rail track in Delhi with an aim to eliminate the menace of mosquitoes. This preventive measure will go a long way in protecting thousands of people from chikungunya and dengue.
"This is an effective effort to eliminate larvae. The SDMC has provided a huge power sprayer and insecticide for spray in adequate quantity. This will not only eliminate larvae but also neutralise mosquitoes. This will also provide desired relief to a large number of residents putting up in JJ clusters along rail tracks where by road approach is not possible for spray," he said.
The SDMC leader of House, Shikha Roy, the Additional Commissioner Meeta Singh and other senior officers the department of public health and other senior officers of the railways were also present on this occasion.
She added that the efforts of the SDMC have succeeded in bringing down the cases of dengue this year in comparison to the last year. The Terminator train will also pass through for two subsequent days each in the localities of the North MCD and EDMC. Mayor further stated that generally water logging along the rail tracks is observed, resulting in rampant breeding of mosquitoes.