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Several resident welfare associations (RWAs) say the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been ignoring their complaints of waterlogging at multiple spots, which, the residents fear, have turned into mosquito breeding grounds.
The RWA members said they are worried as more than 240 cases of dengue were reported in the city as of July 28, which is the most Delhi has seen in the first seven months over the past five years.
Anil Goswami, secretary of Jungpura RWA, said, “A multi-level car park being developed by the MCD got flooded by rainwater. It is turning into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. We have raised this issue with the MCD several times, but they have not paid any attention to our complaints.” He added that the RWA requested the municipality to install a pump to drain out the rainwater. However, the civic body is yet to respond.
‘Disease hotspots’
Nitin Kumar Goel, a member of Civil Lines RWA, said, “Despite repeated complaints and discussions, there has been no anti-larval spray in our area. There is a temple on Bela Road that was flooded over the past few weeks and open drains are overflowing near it. These places have become hotspots of various diseases. But the MCD has been conveniently ignoring our concerns.”
RWA members from various parts of the city, including Saket, Mukherjee Nagar, Bhogal, and Greater Kailash, say they have raised similar issues with the municipality but to no avail.
Ajit Swami, president of the Dwarka resident federation, which is an association of various RWAs, said the MCD mosquito control workers often issue hefty fines on residents at whose houses they find stagnant water. However, such penalties are not imposed on commercial or government establishments found guilty of the same offence, even if the residents bring it to the municipality’s attention.
‘Only rumours’
When reached for a comment, Mayor Shelly Oberoi said complaints about MCD not working towards preventing dengue and other vector-borne diseases (VBDs) in the city were just “rumours”.
“As Standing Committee and ward committees have yet not been made constituted, we are involving RWAs and other community groups in our work [to prevent VBDs] so that such issues can be tackled head-on,” Ms. Oberoi said.
“Moreover, MCD officials are working at every level. They have been given clear instructions to ensure that all complaints are attended to seriously. Our staff members are working day and night to ensure that complaints related to waterlogging and vector-borne diseases are resolved as soon as possible,” she added.
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