Danger Dengue: Walia reviewed the meeting to curb the menace

Dr. A.K. Walia, Health Minister has reviewed the situation of Dengue at a meeting with senior health officials of Delhi Government, Local Bodies and national mosquito control bodies. It was felt that there is strong need to control dengue menace on immediate basis as well as to work out strategies which could effectively tackle the problem in the time to come.

Keeping it in view, the Minister directed the officials to work out short as well as long term legislative, enforcement and administrative strategies to effectively prevent, control and manage dengue.

The Health Minister earlier expressed concern over the breeding found in Overhead Tanks. He observed that the NDMC health officials today morning itself carried out a check-up of 50 over head tanks at R.K. Ashram Marg, Double Storey Flats and breeding was found in 11 over head tanks.

During the review, it emerged that the primary sources of growing incidence of dengue in Delhi are the over head water tanks and construction activities. The Health Minister directed the officials to prepare legislative measures focusing on these areas. The suitable amendments may be made in the Unified Building Bye-Laws, 1984 for the purpose, he directed.

He directed that the Delhi Government health officials to work with local bodies and ensure that manufacturers of overhead tanks are suitably advised and deterrent action be taken against those who don’t fall in the line of government instructions.

The Health Minister directed municipal health officials to double the number of fogging machines from two per Ward to four per Ward. The present number of fogging machines available with Municipal Bodies be increased from 700 to 1400, he said. Meanwhile, intensive fogging be carried out at construction sites and in unauthorized colonies and JJ clusters where mosquitogenic conditions extensively prevail. The Minister also directed to make use of loudspeaker-mounted three-wheelers for communicating the message of prevention and control of dengue.