With the national Capital witnessing a spurt in dengue cases, the role of the municipal corporations in checking the spread, is being questioned by residents who feel the outbreak of the vector-borne disease has exposed the apathy of the civic bodies in dealing with the menace. They also alleged that fogging, spraying insecticides, and organising awareness programmes have been discontinued, resulting in increase in the number of cases.
According to the data released by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Monday, the total number of dengue cases in Delhi has touched 8,549 with 486 cases reported in the previous week. Meanwhile, the number of people affected by malaria has also climbed to 1,111 while the figure for chikungunya stood at 878 with 23 new cases reported during the last week.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC) till November 18 reported 692 cases, the highest among the three civic bodies whereas SDMC registered nearly 689 cases in the same period. Over 359 cases reported from east Delhi.
Many residents believe that the vector-borne diseases can be controlled with good intention. "The ill- preparedness of the municipal corporations in dealing with the menace is responsible for dengue outbreak. Not enough is being done," Rakesh Manchana, a resident of Civil lines said. "Further, choked drains and nallahs have multiplied the problem as it is considered an ideal condition for breeding Culex mosquitoes which is also creating lots of problems," he said.
"I have never seen anyone from the municipal corporation, fumigating the area. And, this year, with cases reaching at alarming level, they are still shifting responsibilities. They never come to even clean choked nallah even after registering complaint on helpline number," said 22-year-old Shivangi Bansal, who lives in Model Town.
However, a senior corporation official said that fogging has been reduced, considering severe pollution level in the city. "The other measures including spraying, cleaning drains and nullah are in process to check the breeding," he said.
Pradeep Bhatnagar, a resident of Vijay Nagar in north Delhi, alleged that "no spraying and cleaning" has taken place in his area. "It is possible to reduce the menace by taking measures on time. The spurt in dengue cases show how incompetent we are in dealing with even a preventable diseases," he said.
Meanwhile, a SDMC official said that mosquito breeding has been reported from 2,05,967 households in Delhi this year till November 18 and intensifying its action to contain the menace, the civic bodies have issued 1,67,804 legal notices for mosquito-genic condition so far.
A string of dengue casualties in the last few days have been reported. Four people have lost their lives due to the disease. In a recent incident, 26-year-old Moajeba, a resident of the Delhi's Arbindo Marg died at Max Super Specialty Hospital. Earlier, a 26-year-old Manipuri woman Rhoda Daimai, who was living in South Delhi's Sarita Vihar, had died at the Holy Family Hospital in August, while 49-year-old Meena Devi, hailing from Bihar, died of dengue shock syndrome on September 2 at the SGRH and a 12-year-old boy had succumbed to dengue shock syndrome on August 1 at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the first death due to the vector-borne disease reported in the city this season," according to civic authorities.