235 notices sent to educational institutes over mosquito breeding: MCD

A public health department official said that letters have been sent to all educational institutes to take preventive measures against mosquito breeding

The public health department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sent legal notices to 235 legal notices and issued over 60 prosecutions to educational institutions as part of a special drive last week said the civic body in their statement on Tuesday. Under this drive, the civic body conducted inspections at 2,370 educational institutes for detecting mosquito breeding and mosquitogenic conditions at 15% of the sites across the city.

(Representational Image) Vector-borne diseases such as Dengue, Malaria, and Chikungunya are transmitted through Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes. (AFP)

The week-long drive carried out in all 12 zones of Delhi, aimed to check both private and government schools and other educational institutes for mosquito breeding, they said in an official statement. “All the MCD schools have also been inspected. Out of a total of 2,370 educational institutes, the breeding of mosquitoes was detected in 360 places. The larvae were destroyed using insecticides. Under this drive, 235 legal notices and 67 prosecutions have been issued against the defaulters,” they added.

A senior public health department official said that letters have been sent to all educational institutes, urging them to take preventive measures to control mosquito breeding. “We have also provided homework cards to encourage students to check and report any stagnant water pools around their houses and schools,” the official added.

Vector-borne diseases such as Dengue, Malaria, and Chikungunya are transmitted through Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes. The Aedes mosquito breeds in clean stored water found in drums, coolers, tins, flowerpots, money plants, and overhead tanks. “Mosquito breeding is very easily preventable by preventing water stagnation at the source,” the official said.

According to data from MCD, Delhi reported 246 dengue cases in the first six months of 2024, double the number of cases reported in the corresponding period in 2023 and the highest in at least the last decade. The city reported 122 dengue cases between January 1 and July 1 in 2023, 143 cases in the same period in 2022, 36 cases in 2021, and 20 cases in 2020.