Fresh spell of rain on Monday brought relief to the people in the national Capital from the sweltering heat but waterlogging across the city due to the heavy rainfall also provide an ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes’ that cause vector borne diseases.
Doctors at different hospitals have also confirmed that number of patients complaining of high-grade fever, nausea and body ache have started visiting hospitals. They also said that an estimated 40 to 50 per cent of the patients who are being brought to various outpatient departments and emergencies in this season, are suffering from water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera, jaundice, dysentery, diarrhea, amoebiasis, vomiting and dehydration.
As per the latest report of municipal corporations of Delhi, the total number of people hit by the malaria has reached to 122 this year with 16 fresh cases being reported last week. While 13 cases of dengue reported last week, taking the number to 75. The trend reflects that malaria continues to spread faster than dengue in the national Capital.
Experts said that the ongoing tussle between multiple agencies responsible to provide civic amenities in the national Capital has resulted in waterlogged roads in the city. Various agencies responsible for maintaining drains have once again failed to work in unison to desilt drains before the onset of monsoon, they said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the drains in the city are maintained by the Public Works’ Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood departments of the Delhi Government and the three municipal corporations. Instead of desilting drains before the approaching monsoon, authorities remain busy passing the buck to shrug off their responsibilities knowing well that vector-borne diseases proliferate during rainy season as water accumulates in part of the city owing to choked drains.
They further said that the inefficiency of civic agencies in keeping Delhi’s drains unclogged has exposed the city to mosquito menace.
A senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation official said that the civic body is doing its best to ensure that there is no water-logging on the roads. “We have already desilted 90 per cent of drains in our areas and the rest would be done within the week. Further, staffs have been deployed in various localities to take control of water - logging complaints, he said.
The report released by the municipal corporation also revealed that 53,583 households in the city have been found positive for mosquito-breeding and 58,521 legal notices have been served for various violations.
In recent year, the Capital has witnessed an epidemic-like situation of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya that have claimed several lives and infected thousands in the national capital.