Speak up: Locals dread mosquito menace as dengue, chikungunya season looms

The monsoons in the city are yet to arrive but the rising humidity levels have resulted in a sudden spurt of dengue and chikungunya cases in the last few days. So far, a total of 32 cases of dengue have been reported this year. In 2016, by this month seven cases of the vector-borne diseases were reported from the capital.

When it comes to chikungunya, at least 86 cases have been reported so far. The season for the vector-borne diseases typically starts in mid July and lasts till November-end. In order to take precautionary measures, the government has directed all hospitals to increase their bed capacity by 20 per cent to treat patients with fever.

Further, to make the process hassle free, the government has also set up a call centre that people can call to check the availability of beds in a particular hospital. They have also decided to ban sale of Brufen group of medicines during the dengue and chikungunya season.

On May 13, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that Delhi will be made mosquito-free to eliminate vector-borne diseases and directed authorities to make a comprehensive plan. We speak to residents to find out issues that plague their areas and what measures can be undertaken by the authorities.

EXPERT SPEAK

We have been sensitising states and union territories to run their own programmes for the elimination of vector-borne diseases. All states have been told to follow the operational guidelines and a manual on integreated vector-disease management has been prepared and shared with all concerned authorities in states.
—Dr AC Dhariwal, Director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme

The hospitals have been told to work on the capacity building of the doctors. All medical staff should be trained thoroughly to treat patients affected due to dengue or chikungunya. This year all the guidelines have been issued early unlike previous years.
—SM Raheja, Additional director of general health services, Delhi health department

RESIDENTS SPEAK

Last year, there was widespread mosquito breeding in our area. This year too, the mosquito menace is looming large. MCD workers rarely visit the area for fogging and even if they do it does not make much of a difference to the prevalent condition. Several people in our locality were fell severely ill due to dengue and chikungunya.
—Kalimuddin, Batla Hosue

The overflowing landfills in our area lead to mosquito breeding. This problem has not been solved despite of fogging undertaken by MCD workers. Last year, my son fell ill due to dengue and now am afraid that the sickness might just relapse.
—Kamala Devi, Patparganj

The mosquito menace in Delhi-NCR region is a major problem. Colonies located near gutters face more problems as it is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. A swarm of mosquitoes can be seen above a person's head even while walking. The drains should either be covered or some kind of liquid solution should be used to treat this.
—Avtar Singh Saini, Noida

Fumigation is done in our areas but then the effect lasts only for a few minutes. Mosquitoes is a chain reaction problem and people eventually fall prey to dengue and other diseases. Another issue we need to deal with is health problems and treatment. Fumigation, spraying and other necessary things should be planned and done at regular intervals.
—­Deepa Harjai, Mayur Vihar

Like most areas, mosquitoes have been a huge issue in our area, too. The nearby runnel is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Despite several attempts at contacting the authorities, the runnel remains uncovered. This results in serious health problems to the people around. Fumigation is one option but that too sometimes seems to be an issue for people suffering from asthma. The government should first take steps to treat these breeding places.
—Sudha Kapoor, Paschim Vihar