‘Dengue situation better, Malaria cases dip in city’

Kolkata: Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Firhad Hakim on Friday said that the dengue situation in the city has further improved while malaria cases have dropped drastically compared to previous year statistics.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, the Mayor said that the number of dengue cases have seen a minimal drop in the city. He said dengue cases since January 2023 till present day stands at 6055 approximately. Hakim said that this shows that the initiatives taken by the civic body have yielded results.

Asked if cow sheds in the city at some places are becoming a contributing factor for dengue spread in the city, Hakim said that Bengal is no exception and that cities like Singapore too have their share of dengue cases.

“Despite being such a clean city, it has dengue cases. Dengue mosquitoes breed in freshwater. It is hence an urban disease. In rural areas, dengue cases have surfaced because development has happened in such places over the years,” he opined.

Hakim pointed out that malaria cases have seen a drastic drop in the city. There are about 6741 malaria cases since January 2023 till now which is 31.5 per cent less than previous year, said an official of the KMC Health department. The mayor said that years back, malaria cases were rampant in the city but the present statistics show an improvement.

Meanwhile, Hakim ordered KMC officials to demolish a vacant dilapidated property in Tollygunge area after a citizen complained that it has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The citizen alleged that long back KMC had even put up a board of a dangerous building but it was removed by the owner who lives in an adjacent building. He alleged that trees have penetrated the walls while dense vegetation surrounds the building.

The Mayor ordered that the building be demolished and the demolition materials be taken straight to the Pathuriaghata material recycling plant at New Town. Properties under lock and key and vacant lands, especially in south Kolkata, are continuing to pose an obstacle to the civic body’s anti-dengue drive. Such properties have also become a dumping ground for the locals who chuck their garbage on such premises.