A pre-monsoon cleaning drive coordinated by the Health Department will be launched in the district on May 10, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said.
Addressing a review meet here on Tuesday, the Minister said sanitation activities to be taken up in the district would be decided by the ward-level health and sanitation committees.
The grant given to ward-level committees to carry out sanitation activities as part of the drive had been increased from Rs.10,000 to Rs.25,000.
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The Health Department and the local bodies should take steps to contain the outbreak of communicable diseases in the district during the rainy season, especially in the backdrop of the garbage management crisis in the district, he said.
Waste disposal
Steps must be taken to ensure cleanliness, quality of drinking water, and timely waste disposal.
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De-silting of drains, rivers, and lakes should be taken up, especially in areas that are prone to water stagnation and flooding.
Advance arrangements will also be made to provide shelters, food, drinking water, and toilet facilities to people who could be displaced by flooding, the meeting was told.
Inspections will also be held to check the quality of food sold through wayside eateries and the level of hygiene during its preparation.
A public awareness programme on pre-monsoon cleaning will be held at the ward level from May 16 to 18. May 17 will be observed as State-wide sanitation day. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will perform the State-level inauguration of the programme in the district.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the programme.
Awareness campaign
The awareness camping will include public address, and rallies and seminars on pre-monsoon sanitation. ASHA and anganwadi workers and volunteers from voluntary organisations will conduct house visits, surveys, and vector-control activities such as spraying and fogging from May 19 to 28.
Primary Health Centre (PHC)-wise review meetings will be held on May 29 to 31. An intensive vector-control drive will be taken up from June 4 to 13.
The involvement of residents' associations and workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme would be ensured.
Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi Ali; A.T. George, Jameela Prakasham, B. Sathyan, MLAS; Mayor K. Chandrika; District Collector K.N. Satheesh; and heads of various government departments were also present.