CHENNAI: Struggling to face water crisis, residents of Tiruvallur district thought the best way is to store water. And this proved costly for the residents as they fell prey to dengue mosquitoes, which breed in fresh water.
According to figures available, Avadi and Tirutani taluka hospitals in the district reported four and 13 dengue cases respectively while Tiruvallur headquarters hospital reported five dengue cases. This is
apart from the 50 fever cases reported in Avadi, 44 in Tirutani and 50 in Tiruvallur Headquarter hospital respectively.
Dengue outbreak in Tiruvallur district is such that hospitals were found overflowing with patients. Situation has turned so that two patients have to share one bed .
Health department officials blamed residents for lacking awareness about water storing practices, A visit to the district by Express, found that water shortage in Tiruvallur district made residents store water in plastic barrels for days. In one such scenario, Perumal Koil Street in Thirumullaivoyal was crowded with such barrels full of water either covered with cloth or broken lids.
"Water tankers come and supply water only once in a week here. So we store sufficient water in these barrels," said 70 year old Muniamma, pointing to a group of barrels in front of her house. "This water we use for washing clothes and other purposes. For drinking we buy water separately. This area is known for water problem," Muniamma added while other residents echoed her words.
While residents could be blamed for their lack of awareness to store water, the health officials have also been callous when it comes to keeping the locality clean by ensuring water does not stagnate. Proper
surveillance by health officials is lacking in Tirutani, where more number of fever and dengue cases are being reported. Neglected water bodies like lakes and ponds also pose a threat as they breed mosquitoes.
During the visit, Express found that at Dr Radhakrishnan Government Boys Higher Secondary School there was stagnation of rain water for days leading to formation of algae and insects in the water. "There is no local administration here because of no Panchayat elections. No proper surveillance in the area. The officials come, sprinkle bleaching powder and go only if there are any deaths," said D Palani, a resident of Tirutani.
However, in some areas of the district like Kanakammachatram, it is the school students who are proving to be effective in spreading Dengue awareness. Designated as Cleanliness Ambassadors (Thooimai Thoothuvan) to prevent dengue, they are turning out to be effective in creating awareness among neighbours and keeping surroundings clean.
"Today, we went to a colony here, there we spotted mosquitoes breedings in small cement tanks in the street, and we toppled the water from the tanks. We were told that containers should be washed neatly and kept," said a class X student at Government High School in Kanakammachatram.
"We have been told to keep our surrounding clean from stagnation of water, remove unused containers, like coconut shells, tyres, tubes, plastic and water stored in small cement tanks for long. We are also spreading this message among our family members," the student added.