Maduravoyal residents urge to regularise drinking water to prevent vector borne disease

CHENNAI: Over 50 houses comprising 200 families at Pillaiyar Koil Street in Maduravoyal woke up to an unusual scenario. Their locality witnessed an inspection of top corporation officials on Monday. Unfortunately the attention comes in the wake of the death of a four-year-old boy due to dengue on Saturday.

"In the last 13 years, this is the first time the civic body carried out a mosquito eradication drive and sprayed bleaching powder against vector borne diseases in our area. There have been several civic issues including sewer overflow awaiting solution for years," the residents told during a visit on Monday.

"We do not have pipeline water supply and only once a week the tanker lorry from metro water supplies drinking water in the area. We are forced to use the stored water for a week. Also, the sewage overflowing in the street has been persisting due to blockage caused in the drainage system. As it was not cleaned for several days, it has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes," lamented A Sonia, mother of the four-year-old boy fighting tears.

The local residents complained that the ward councillor has not visited the area till now. Only on alternative days the sanitary workers collect garbage and the waste dumped on the roads often go unchecked.

"There was no regular inspection to ensure sanitation and bleaching powder is hardly used. There is no preventive mosquito eardication programme in our area. Only after a child died in the locality, the civic body authorities have started attending our locality. Mosquito menace is sometheing very common in our ward," said R Marakadham, a resident of Pillaiyar Koil Street.

Meanwhile Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner J Radhakrishnan visited the victim's house along with entomologist, and filed assistants.

egular inspections have been conducted by the health workers to ensure there is no breeding of mosquito larvae in tires, water sources and plastic containers. There are sufficient machinery and mechanism in place to fight mosquito breeding, he said.

"In each zone, the details of fever cases in government hospitals, private hospitals and healthcare centres under corporation should be sent to the concerned zones. The health inspectors take action related to mosquito prevention and awareness, and monitoring should be done if fever cases are given in hospitals. The officials should conduct special fever camps, where more fever cases are reported in the city," Radhakrishnan instructed the field officials during his visit and advised the civic staff to distribute nilavembu kashayam provided for free at Amma Unavagam.

Earlier in the day, health minister Ma Subramanian said so far 253 patients have been tested positive for dengue in the state as on Sunday. The health department has intensified eradication drives to reduce the Dengue mortality. This year, three death cases were reported in Tamil Nadu, the minister said.

The child was treated at a private hospital and brought to ICH on September 6 and developed dengue within a few hours of the admission. Later, his health deteriorated gradually, and did not respond to treatment. After he developed a multi-organ failure, the boy died on September 9.