MCD takes measures to check spread of water, vector-borne diseases in Delhi amid rain

The civic body has deployed teams to pick up dead animals and prevent the outbreak of water-borne and vector-borne diseases.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has begun measures to prevent water from the Yamuna entering critical areas and ward off a public health crisis in neighbourhoods that have been inundated by floodwaters.

Flood-affected people inside makeshift tents on Wednesday. (PTI)

Read here: Rising river water level leaves large areas vulnerable in Delhi

In an attempt to prevent outbreak of disease in the flood hit areas, the civic body has tasked its veterinary department to deploy teams to pick up dead animals. “Citizens can submit their complaints with respect to picking dead animals on MCD’s centralised control room number 155305. All zonal deputy directors of the veterinary department will be coordinating these efforts,” a senior MCD official said.

A second official said the MCD’s public health department has been tasked with preventing the outbreak of water-borne and vector-borne diseases in low-lying areas.

“We have deployed teams of field workers and domestic breeding checkers to intensify anti-larval activities at all water-logged sites. Under these drives, insecticides will be sprayed at waterlogged places to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes. Zonal entomologists will be monitoring the density of mosquitoes in flood-affected areas at regular intervals so that the situation can be kept under control. A nodal epidemiologist and Deputy Health Officer is monitoring the situation of mosquito borne diseases on a daily basis,” the second official said.

A public health department official said reserves of chlorine sachets have been set up for distribution in flood-hit areas. “In many of these places, the water supply is not coming through pipelines. In all the places where hand pumps are being used, these chlorine sachets can be used to treat water. The main goal in this case is to prevent cholera and jaundice,” the official added.

Meanwhile, a senior MCD official associated with flood preparations said the corporation, in coordination with the flood control department, has deployed pumps at 10 sites where the drains have an outfall in the Yamuna to prevent a backflow.

“MCD has deployed pumps from the zonal resources in the flooded areas to pump out water, and each zone of MCD has been tasked to prepare 5,000 sand bags each, to be used in case of flooding,” the official said.

The civic body has prepared action plans for vulnerable areas located in five of its 12 zones along the Yamuna — Central zone, City-SP Zone, Civil Lines zone, Shahdara North Zone and Shahdara South Zone.

Read here: Low-lying parts of Yamuna’s northern, eastern banks in Delhi hit; rescue operation on

The civic body also decided to start an awareness drive in all 250 wards within the next one week, and hold meetings with all councillors and RWAs. A meeting in this regard was held under the chairmanship of mayor Shelly Oberoi on Wednesday.