1.3K tested +ve for dengue in Chennai in September, GCC says cases on decline

CHENNAI: Dengue cases in Chennai have crossed 4,500 this year as 4,592 cases were reported till September, while officials claim the situation has stabilised and cases have started to decline.

Health secretary Darez Ahamed and Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) commissioner GS Sameeran inspected dengue prevention measures in Teynampet on Sunday. Darez said 1,293 dengue cases were reported in the city in September. So far, 16,254 people have been tested for dengue, with no deaths reported in the city this year.

Meanwhile, Sameeran added that, 46 dengue cases were reported in the city on Saturday and 39 on Friday. “The cases are gradually declining, but we are not reducing the intensity of prevention measures,” he said.

GCC has deployed 3,703 mosquito-control workers and conducts more than 100 fever camps every day. Around 1,250 machines are being used to spray larvicide. Sameeran said drone-based spraying of larvicides are also being carried out over water bodies, including Cooum.

The civic body has also imposed Rs 7.2 lakh in fines last month on commercial establishments, organisations and some households for failing to clear mosquito-breeding sources despite repeated warnings.

With intermittent rains creating conditions conducive to mosquito breeding in stagnant fresh water, the corporation said dengue prevention measures would continue through the monsoon.

On monsoon preparedness, Sameeran said Chennai has more than 3,000 km of stormwater drains, besides 250 km under the highways department. Of the 1,600 km identified as requiring desilting, work has been completed in 1,400 km, with the remaining 200 km expected to be completed this week.

Inspecting monsoon preparedness works at Tidal Park in Adyar on Saturday, Sameeran said a Rs 13.5 crore, 660m cut-and-cover stormwater drain was being built to carry runoff from IIT Madras campus to the South Buckingham Canal (B-canal). Of the two packages, 290m of the first has been completed, with the remaining 40m expected to be completed in 10 days, while the second involves a 90m stretch across OMR to the B-canal.

The drain will carry runoff from the 250 hectare IIT Madras campus, 102 hectare Lok Bhavan premises, and 125 hectare Guindy National Park.”

In the Kosasthalaiyar basin, works supported by the Asian Development Bank are nearing completion. A 500m cut-and-cover drain from Demellows Road through Powder Mill Road to Gandhi Canal is expected to be completed before the monsoon. Another 1.2km cut-and-cover drain along Madhavaram-Red Hills Road is being constructed to prevent water stagnation.

GCC gets Rs 1,100 crore to clear dues of contractors

As GCC continues to face financial constraints, with over Rs 2,000 crore pending to it’s contractors, commissioner GS Sameeran said on Sunday that the state government had allocated Rs 1,100 crore to clear pending bills and approved Rs 300 crore to obtain as loan. The chief minister has also allocated Rs 100 crore for monsoon preparedness, he added. “There is no shortage of funds for monsoon preparedness works,” Sameeran said, adding that long-term capital works would be taken up with financial assistance from agencies such as the World Bank and JICA.

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