A senior official of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said the civic body will combat dengue on a war footing this year, in view of the G20 summit, for which a comprehensive plan will be drafted.
The plan will be aimed towards achieving the goal of a “dengue-free Delhi”, the official said, adding that “tech-based” options will be explored for preventive measures such as fumigation.
The city had last year recorded close to 4,500 cases of the vector-borne disease.
“There are some spots which are difficult to access physically and this is where technology can help. The plan is yet to be made and we are contemplating on what are the best options. Dengue cases see an increase in numbers in September, and the [G20] summit meeting will also be held in that month. So we intend to be more focused towards ensuring that the situation is under control,” said the senior official.
In November 2021, the erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) had embarked on a pilot project which saw the use of drones to spray anti-larval medicine, while then-EDMC Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal said that each drone has a capacity to carry 10-12 litres of anti-larval medicine and can cover a distance of up to three kilometres.
In 2021, during its worst dengue outbreak since 2015, the Capital had recorded over 9,600 cases and 23 deaths. Of the total caseload, more than half was recorded in areas under the MCD’s jurisdiction, while over 2,900 cases were marked under the ‘untraced’ category after investigation.
In 2022, over 2,500 cases – of the total caseload – were recorded in MCD areas and over 1,500 cases were marked under the untraced after investigation category.
“Our action plan to combat dengue is made keeping the entire city in mind. It is not limited to the G20 summit. This year, we want to ensure a higher success rate through more intensive control measures. This will also benefit us in successive years,” said another MCD official.
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