Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to intensify its vector control drive in the city areas that share their border with neighbouring municipalities, particularly those in the north. According to a civic health department official, the civic body has identified as many as 26 wards within the KMC jurisdiction where the civic body’s health wing needs to strengthen its anti-dengue drive as large areas falling under these wards share their border with one municipal corporation and four municipalities.
According to a KMC health department official, though the city has recorded much smaller number of dengue cases this year compared to last year, a vigil is being maintained in the bordering areas such as Baranagar, South Dum Dum, Salt Lake, Maheshtala and Rajpur-Sonarpur belt after the death of an 11-year-old in Shyamnagar, an area that falls under South Dum Dum Municipality.
A KMC vector control department official conceded that going by past records they had reasons to feel worried after outbreak of dengue in south Dum Dum and its adjoining neighbourhoods as it might adversely affect several adjoining areas that fall under the KMC. This apart, the KMC health department is also keeping an eye on city areas such as Garden Reach, Behala, Garia, Patuli that share borders with Maheshtala and Rajpur-Sonarpur municipalities.
Similarly, large areas located off EM Bypass such as Beleghata, Narkeldanga, Topsia, that share their borders with Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (Salt Lake) have come under the KMC vector control drive.
“Though the number of dengue cases is yet to cross the danger mark, the incessant rains occurred in the past one month has compelled us to take extra care of the dengue-prone areas. In the past we saw dengue outbreak in Salt Lake, Baranagar, Dum Dum and Rajpur-Sonarpur areas led to a surge in Dengue numbers in several neighbourhoods under KMC jurisdiction and that further complicated the dengue scenario in Kolkata,” said a KMC health department official.
The KMC vector control wing chief Debasis Biswas on Tuesday said a special vigil was being taken in the bordering areas and the civic body was prepared to coordinate with the municipalities to ward off the dengue threat till November. “Though we are comfortably placed this year as far as the number of dengue cases is concerned, there is no room for complacency till winter sets in. We have brought around 3,600 apartment buildings under the vector control programme and are cooperating with the flat owners to destroy the larvae breeding sites,” said Biswas.