Kolkata: With the dengue death of a 75-year-old man from South Kolkata, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has intensified its vector control drive in the city.
The deceased, identified as Swaroop Mukhopadhyay, was a resident of Sunny Park in Kolkata KMC’s Ward 69.
According to civic officials, Mukhopadhyay was suffering from fever for several days and was admitted to a private hospital in the city. On August 6, he tested positive for dengue with platelet count at 35,000, which later dropped to 12,000. He died in hospital during treatment. The KMC’s Health department said they were informed about the case on August 7. Inspection of the area revealed an under-construction housing complex adjacent to the deceased’s residence where water had accumulated due to recent heavy rain. Civic staff reported finding larvae of Aedes mosquitoes, known carriers of the dengue virus. The corporation has undertaken larvicide spraying and other precautionary measures in the locality and residents have been advised to remain vigilant.
The KMC, earlier this year, marked 68 of its 144 wards—nearly 50 per cent—as “vulnerable” to higher dengue incidence this year, based on case data. In 2023, the city recorded 13,926 dengue cases, while 2024 saw a reduced tally of 1,316 cases.
Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh, who heads the KMC’s Health department, had said a pre-monsoon drive was undertaken to remove plastic, thermocol and other non-biodegradable materials from vacant lands and waterbody banks in these wards. Vector control workers are conducting door-to-door awareness campaigns and distributing leaflets, while announcements are being made through loudspeakers.
KMC sources said that between January and February, the KMC served 733 notices to property owners under Section 496A of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act for failing to keep premises clean. Three legal cases were initiated for non-compliance. Rapid action teams have been working since January to locate and destroy mosquito breeding grounds at schools, hospitals, construction sites and other premises.