Amid corona crisis, GVMC keen on containing seasonal diseases in Vizag

With Vizag beginning to receive rains, GVMC Commissioner G Srijana has alerted officials on the necessity of taking measures to contain the spread of seasonal diseases like malaria and dengue in the city. Speaking at a meeting conducted on Thursday, the Commissioner stated that there is a chance of water stagnation due to the likelihood of heavy rainfall in the coming days stagnation of water. She further stated that spread of malaria, dengue and other seasonal illnesses will lead to an undesirable situation given that the authorities are already battling coronavirus.

Ward secretaries of all departments will be allocated 100 houses each to spread awareness about seasonal diseases among the public in Vizag. As per the directives given by the Commissioner, upon visiting every house, details should be entered in a separate app and a sticker should be pasted on the houses. Plans to spread awareness on seasonal diseases also include distributing pamphlets and rallying through autos across the city.

The GVMC will also be issuing notices to owners of empty plots to take the requisite measures to prevent the stagnation of water. As per an official note, owners who don’t follow the measures will be subject to penalties. Notices will also be issued to public and private institutions, including offices, colleges and other business institutions to ensure that the surroundings are kept clean without water stocks in order to prevent any seasonal diseases from spreading. Slum dwellers have been asked to pay close attention to the hot spots identified.

Ward-level special officers have been directed to visit residents of their wards, along with malaria staff, to educate them on how seasonal diseases spread as a result of water stagnation. Every Sunday shall be designated as a dry day to ensure that safe sanitation methods are followed. Citizens are required to ensure that wastes are segregated into wet and dry wastes before disposing off properly. Malaria inspectors have been ordered to constantly carry out fogging and pesticide spraying activities in the gutters across the city every morning. The Commissioner stated that complaints received from the public about sanitary work will be treated on a serious note.