MCD starts survey of water samples in flood-hit areas in Delhi

The civic body’s public health department launched a drive to collect water samples from the low-lying flood-hit areas

As the water level in the Yamuna dipped below the danger mark and people started returning to their homes, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) began surveying flood-hit areas to take measures and prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases, according to officials aware of the matter.

Out of 12 administrative zones falling under the jurisdiction of MCD, localities in six zones have been hit by the flood over the last week. (PTI)

The civic body’s public health department on Wednesday launched a drive to collect water samples from the low-lying flood-hit areas to increase disease surveillance. A senior municipal official said that similar samples were being collected from the tankers of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to check the residual chlorine levels.

HT reached out to DJB officials who did not respond to queries seeking a comment.

“In areas where handpumps or groundwater is used for drinking purposes, we are distributing chlorine bottles for water treatment. In general, a free chlorine residual of 0.1 ppm (parts per million) is considered a minimum level for the control of bacterial regrowth in the distribution system,” the muncipal official cited above said.

Another public health official said that during the review meeting on disease prevention on Monday, MCD recommended that supply via tankers should be continued in areas where there is no water supply network to ensure that gastrointestinal diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery do not spread.

Out of 12 administrative zones falling under the jurisdiction of MCD, localities in six zones have been hit by the flood over the last week. The action-taken report of the public health department states that measures to prevent outbreak of diseases are being taken in 30 localities where around 10,508 people live — 10 under the Central zone, six each under Civil Lines, South Shahdara and City Sadar Paharganj zones, and two areas in the Narela zone.

“We have deployed 10 mobile dispensaries for people in flood-hit areas. Health talks are being carried out at 30 to 40 locations to increase awareness and over 500 to 600 OPD (out patient department) visits are being overseen daily,” the official said. A parallel drive is being run to distribute oral rehydration solutions (ORS) in the rehabilitation camps, he added.

Dr Sumit Ray, head of the department of critical care medicine and medical director at Holy Family Hospital in Okhla, said that the state will have to take responsibility to prevent an outbreak in the affected areas.

“The agencies need to keep looking for infections like leptospirosis. The drinking water can also lead to several gastrointestinal diseases like hepatitis and jaundice. The water may be receding, but the state will have to take responsibility of supplying clean drinking water even in these areas where the supply network has not been extended. Water tankers can be deployed for some time till the situation normalises,” he said, adding that this could be the beginning of a higher vector-borne disease risk stage.

The civic body also decided to initiate its anti-mosquito fogging drives in affected areas. “Normally, these fogging drives are undertaken in September, when the adult mosquito population increases. But the drive is being advanced in flood-hit areas,” a third civic official said.