Cholera cases have been plaguing the Capital regularly and the latest figures released by the State civic bodies confirm that there has been a gradual rise in the numbers this year too, despite the monsoon yet to hit the city with full force.
Delhi has recorded 57 confirmed cases till now. Due to the notorious track record of the disease, health experts warn that without strict hygiene “we will see a sharp rise in the number of cholera cases after monsoon sets in”.
The worst affected areas are the unauthorised colonies.
“Cases are being reported from Civil Line zone, Rohini zone and Shahdara zone,” said a senior health official of the Corporation, adding that the actual numbers could be higher than what is being reported and recorded.
Stating that usually there is a spike in the number of cholera cases right after heavy and prolonged spell of rain in July-August, a senior health official maintained that proper hygiene was the only solution to counter the disease.
“The worst affected areas include unauthorised resettlement colonies with poor sanitation facilities, and little or no access to clean and regular supply of drinking water. Here people are often dependent on groundwater and the water supplied by tankers,” he added.
What adds to the problem is the fact that Delhi’s poor water and waste management cause rainwater to mix with regular water supply/stored underground and in tanks, contaminating it with the cholera-carrying bacteria.
But health officials add that several measures have been put in place to ensure that an outbreak of cholera is prevented.
“Hospitals have been put on alert and directed to stock up on chlorine tablets and liquid, which ensure that the water is potable,” said a health official.
The city, meanwhile, has already registered several cases of dengue, malaria, eye flu, viral fever, gastroenteritis, jaundice and typhoid.
