Chennai: Minister streamlines anti-Dengue efforts

Chennai: Minister of municipal administration and rural development S.P. Velumani on Wednesday conducted a review meeting with officials of corporation, municipality and panchayat and gave instructions to stop the incidences of dengue.

“In Chennai corporation limits, every 500 houses will form a small taluk and in the other urban areas, 300 houses will come under one taluk. This will make reviewing the cases of dengue and extending prevention, control measures easier,” he said.

The officials of different department were ordered to ensure supply of clean drinking water with a minimum quantity of 0.2 ppm of chlorine, to oversee that water does not stagnate in houses and other open spaces (tyres, coconut shells, and open tanks) and to ensure immediate removal of piled garbage dumped by public in unoccupied areas even if they are private properties.

He further said that the areas affected during the floods must be identified and efforts must be taken to prevent stagnation. All the amenities to cut trees, generators, medical supplies and community halls to accommodate evacuated residents must be kept ready.

Efforts are on to desilt Adyar river, Buckingham canal and Kosasthalaiyar river to ensure smooth flow of rainwater into the sea.

The minister also had a review on other issues like city administration and panchayat administration, road facilities, drinking water facilities and sewage water management under the charge of the city and local administrations.

CM chairs Dengue meet
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday held a high-level review meeting with top officials of Health and other related departments on controlling dengue deaths and suggested a slew measures to reduce its incidence.

As the official death toll due to dengue reached 40, Palaniswami was closeted with Health minister C. Vijayabhaskar, health secretary J. Radhakrishnan and other senior officials of various departments.

The meeting also decided to intensify mass cleaning activities across the state to clear garbage from neighbourhood and other areas by roping in activists and common man to ensure that mosquito breeding is reduced. Focus was also laid on reducing breeding of mosquitoes at source especially in water storage tanks in residential areas.

Instructions were issued to ensure that all vacant lands are cleared, since dumping of garbage, plastic wastes in them was compounding the problem. The meet came a day after the Union Health Ministry said as many as 11,555 people have been diagnosed with dengue in Tamil Nadu. More than 40 people from have succumbed to dengue across the state.