With the onset of monsoons, Dwarka is witnessing a rise in chikungunya cases. Even posh localities have not been spared. Residents blame the civic bodies -- the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the Delhi Development Authority -- for the situation.
Dr Charu Goel of Venkteshwar Hospital Dwarka says, “Most of the fever cases are of chikungunya and the patients are mainly from Dwarka. Out of every 15 people, five are suffering from chikungunya. This year, this fever has surpassed the dengue tally.”
This is the outcome of the lackadaisical approach of the civic bodies, feel residents. They have done very little to prevent the mosquitoes from breeding. Though the societies are taking care to manage the garbage inside the society, public places -- such as parks, bus stops, roads, markets – remain largely unattended.
Shameera Ashroff, general secretary of the Association of Neighbourhood Ladies Get Together (ANHLGT), and a resident of Skylark Apartments, Sector 6, says, “We keep our homes and society clean. We check waterlogging and mosquito breeding. But the Corporation is responsible for roads, parks and the markets. They should control waterlogging and take up extensive cleaning. They should properly spray and fog the areas. They should also carry out awareness campaigns.”
Echoing similar concerns, general secretary of Sukh Dukh Ke Sathi (SDKS) Sanstha and a resident of Chitrakoot Apartments, Sector 22, PB Mishra, says, “There has been an outbreak of chikungunya in Delhi and the NCR. A number of cases have been reported from Dwarka, which is supposedly a well-planned and well-maintained sub-city. Hospitals are overcrowded.”
Citing a number of known instances, he says, “A young lady in my neighbourhood, living alone with her kids, came down with the fever recently. Treasurer of SDKS, SP Malik, too, suffered the same fate. Clearly, Dwarka is in the grip of chikungunya – dengue, too, is on the rise. These are mosquito-borne diseases, so it’s amply clear that the sanitation situation in Dwarka is going from bad to worse. Waterlogging during the monsoons is another menace. The Corporation seems to be doing nothing about it.”
P Menon, a managing committee member of Ashirvad Apartments, Sector 12, and treasurer of Dwarka Forum, says, “Waterlogging is one of the major causes of this outbreak. You can notice standing water everywhere. The SDMC should take up this matter more seriously.”
The SDMC officials said fogging and spraying is being carried out in different parts of the city.
