Madurai Corporation has procured four more fogging machines to intensify its anti-dengue campaign. It has also planned to distribute one lakh plastic mesh free of cost to the residents to cover the air pipes of septic tanks to prevent mosquito breeding.
Talking to reporters in Madurai on Monday, Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, said that the eight fogging machines have arrived and they were being assembled. “We have already deployed four fogging machines. With the new machines, each zone will get three machines each so that every ward could be covered each day,” he said.
Corporation Commissioner R. Nanthagopal said mass cleaning was being undertaken in vulnerable areas like Avaniyapuram, Villapuram, Managiri, B.B. Kulam, Tirunagar and Vandiyur. Besides, anti-larvicidal activity like spraying was also being taken up in various areas.
He appealed to the residents to make use of Abate solution to prevent breeding of mosquitoes in fresh water stored in utensils. He said that the solution was not harmful to the people.
Teachers trained
The corporation school teachers have been trained on various issues regarding the spread of dengue and breeding of mosquitoes so that they could create awareness among the school students. “Students of corporation schools are mostly from the middle class and lower sections of the economic strata and they are the most vulnerable to mosquito bites,” he added.
Teachers have been asked to identify children with high fever and to inform the health authorities so that they could be taken to Government Rajaji hospital for early diagnosis for dengue.
Medical teams have already been formed to make door-to-door inspection and report on fever cases.
Mr. Chellappa added that removal of water hyacinth had yielded in desired result of reduced mosquito menace. It would be taken up in all wards, he said. The Mayor played down the complaints of sewage water mixing with drinking water. He claimed that it was only sporadic and such complaints were attended to immediately.
