The Corporation has formed a huge team to handle the challenges that may arise during the north-east monsoon.
It was a mega team, indeed, said Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri. “We have 50 teams to supervise across the 100 wards and each team comprised 10 members.”
They would be primarily responsible for removing garbage from residential areas, sprinkling anti-mosquito spray, fogging, dropping oil balls and fish (kappi variety) in stagnant ponds and storm water drainage channels, distributing pamphlets and creating awareness to keep the environment clean.
Assistant Health Officer Parthiban on Tuesday said that the teams fanned out to different locations in the city and dropped oil balls and fish. Admitting that there were dengue cases, he, however, said there were no deaths.
“Early identification of fever-like complaints was taken up,” he added.
Explaining the merits of dropping oil balls and kappi fish, he said in public places or private homes, allowing water to stagnate was a high risk. Even a small space was enough for mosquitoes to breed. The oil balls immersed into stagnant water and channels caused formation of an oil layer on top, which would cut off oxygen. This was one way of biological control of mosquitoes from breeding, he said.
He also said, “Our health team members visited dengue-prone zones at random and conducted a combing operation. This facilitated keeping the areas dry and educating the public on the consequences thoroughly.”
The oil balls were dropped in channels such as Chintamani channel on Ponnagaram Salai, Managiri channel opposite Aavin, Panagal channel opposite Government Rajaji Hospital, Anupanadi channel near Nelpettai, Thandalai channel in Kaalangarai and the important Kiruthumal channel off Kamarajar Salai.
Schools and
construction sites
As a pro-active step, the teams also visited some of the schools. Checks in toilets suggested that there was no water or the number of toilets was limited for the student strength.
In such cases, the officials issued notices to the schools to solve the problems. Likewise, premises, which were under construction, were also scanned as stagnant water at the sites might facilitate mosquito-breeding. Before being penalised or subjected to legal action, contractors and workers were educated on the need to keep the environment clean. Dr. Parthiban said so far 10 to 20 schools were issued notices and equal number of buildings instructed to keep their premises free from mosquito-breeding.
When The Hindu team visited some of the densely populated areas such as Obulapadithurai, Aruldosspuram, Jaihindpuram, Ellis Nagar, Ponnagaram, Tahsildar Nagar and BB Kulam, the residents complained about mosquito menace in the evenings.
Fogging should be more effective, said Arunachalam, a resident of Singarayar Colony.
He urged the Corporation to remove dumper bins at least twice a day in areas where dumping was high. Allowing it to accumulate for over 24 hours led to environmental pollution. He also wondered how come roadside eateries – many of them responsible for spoiling the surroundings – on many stretches had not been evicted or come to officers’ notice.
Kaleel Rahman, a resident of Munichalai, said mosquito menace was high in Obulapadithurai area.
Even before rains started, life here had become tough, especially in the evenings, he added.
But, according to the authorities, they are geared up to face challenges and are sure that they will not let down the residents.
