CHENNAI: IN a bid to control Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, the Union government is making provisions to provide drinking water supply to 75,000 slum households in Madurai and Thanjavur.
Japanese Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne viral disease, which belongs to the same genus as dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses. It is usually transmitted to humans from infected mosquitoes of the Culex species (mainly Culex tritaeniorhynchus). The virus exists in a transmission cycle between mosquitoes, pigs or water birds. The disease is predominantly found in rural and periurban settings, where humans live in closer proximity to pigs and water birds.
The two districts of Tamil Nadu are part of the 43 districts from five states where the scheme is being implemented over a period of five years. Besides Tamil Nadu, the other four states are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam.
Union government sources told Express that the scheme would cater to 4.80 lakh slum households in 66 municipalities in 43 districts across the country and would cost the exchequer Rs 418 crore.
The project cost for five years would be shared by Centre and State in the ratio of 75:25 in respect of Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and west Bengal. In case of Assam, the ratio is 90:10.
Sources said a total of 77,278 slum households would benefit under the scheme in the two districts in TN. The scheme would cost a total of Rs 67.69 crore of which the share of Centre would be Rs 50.76 crore while that of state would be Rs 16.92 crore.