KMC to launch intense anti-larvae drives

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will intensify its vigil and launch intense anti-larvae drives in areas bordering Salt Lake.

A high-level meeting to chalk out the plan was held in the office of Borough III at Phoolbagan on Wednesday afternoon. It was chaired by Atin Ghosh, member, Mayor in Council (Health). Senior officials of KMC's Health department, including Debashis Biswas, Chief Vector Control Officer, attended the meeting.

There are nine wards in Borough III that cover East Kolkata. These wards are 13, 14, 29-35. The ward medical vector control officers have been asked to carry out drives on Sundays and holidays till October. Special drives will be conducted in areas where puja pandals have been erected.

Many residents of ward 14 was affected by dengue in 2014. KMC will launch a special drive in this ward. There will be awareness campaigns requesting residents to use mosquito nets and to clean the containers where water is stored, once a week. People having fever should get in touch with KMC doctors and get their blood tested at the KMC laboratories. Senior KMC officials said in many cases it was seen that blood samples tested at private laboratories vary from KMC labs and after repeated tests it was seen that the readings of the private labs in detecting dengue was wrong. The officials said as blood samples are tested free-of-cost in KMC labs, many feel that teats are not being conducted seriously. There are 15 dengue detection centres in the city and 144 medical units. The KMC follows the guideline of WHO is treating Malaria and dengue patients.

In wards 31 and 32 that are bordering Salt Lake, awareness campaigns will be launched along with special garbage cleaning drives. The KMC officials of the Health department have been instructed to intensify the drives till October.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has prepared a well knit plan to check the spread of dengue and malaria. Meetings to take a stock of the situation are being held in every borough.

Atin Ghosh presides over the meetings and the future course of action are decided at these meetings. KMC and the neighbouring municipalities like Dum Dum and South Dum Dum are working together to combat the spread of these diseases.

Atin Ghosh said because of global warming, the dengue-bearing mosquitoes have changed their breeding season and so anti-larvae drives are conducted throughout the year.

The KMC has launched massive awareness campaign in all the wards. It may be mentioned that Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is carrying out anti-larvae drive regularly and civic workers visit households to spray mosquito repellents.