Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is carrying out special drives against dengue in view of the ongoing rainfall in Kolkata.
Drives are being conducted to clear up accumulated garbage as it might serve as breeding ground for mosquitoes. Senior civic officials said the waterlogging that had taken place in different parts of the city due to heavy downpour in the past few days, did not serve as potential breeding grounds as the accumulated water was cleared within a few hours. It may be mentioned here that mosquito larvae take 7 to 10 days to become adult mosquitoes.
They said water accumulated in garbage, discarded plastic cups, used tyres and wreckage of vehicles serve as potential breeding grounds for mosquito larvae.
Senior civic officials urged the residents to ensure that the overhead tanks and underground reservoirs remain properly covered and plastic cups are not strewn around.
"We carry out awareness campaigns urging cooperation of the residents. The majority of them are found to be cooperating with KMC, but there are persons who do not cover the underground reservoirs and overhead tanks properly. To combat dengue, cooperation is required from people coming from all walks of life," the officials said.
It may be mentioned that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said on dengue control that "cleanliness drive is an integral part of any dengue prevention programme."
The civic authorities are going to launch a drive at ward 69 in South Kolkata on Friday. The ward falls under the Ballygunge Assembly constituency. Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh will be present during the drive. The KMC teams will visit institutional buildings, residential houses and housing complexes.
Meanwhile, the KMC teams visited houses and other establishments in ward 79 on Wednesday. It will conduct anti-dengue drives in three phases. The first phase, which started in January, will continue till June. The second phase will start in July and continue till October. In November and December, the follow-up phase will be carried out.