CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation has shifted its focus towards disposing used delivery boxes of e-commerce firms like Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal and water dripping from A/Cs, refrigerators which contribute to more than 30 per cent mosquito breeding in the city.
With the city recording close to 1,400 fever cases and 480 suspected cases last month, the Health wing of the city corporation has intensified its sources eradication operation.
While construction sites, open spaces in residential, commercial areas and abandoned sites remained as conventional breeding sites, Corporation sanitary officials revealed that delivery boxes stored by the public unknowingly has become a prime breeding space for these vectors (Aedes aegypti mosquito).
Corporation sources said that one ml of fresh water is the requirement for mosquitoes to breed and people unknowingly store these boxes containing polymer and bubble wrap in their lofts and terrace for future packing purposes. When the workers visited houses in Tondiarpet zone and New Avadi Road, they found that water seeped through the walls and got accumulated in the boxes, which became a heavy breeding ground in their houses and also on terrace spaces.
Workers at zone-level said that without an effective garbage source segregation in place, incessant dumping along the streets lead to breeding of rats and mosquitoes.
Similarly in several apartments, water leaking from the split A/C condensers placed above the sun shades and refrigerator trays became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. In several slum areas, thar sheets placed above the roof and gutters which collect the rain water from the roof tiles were found to be accumulating fresh water.
A Corporation official said that the public should understand major breeding sources are intra-domestic and without their cooperation, it was difficult to bring down the fever cases. Along with treatment and prevention activities, the civic body has formed teams at ward-levels to increase community participation levels in their Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities.
This team would carry the message about the boxes, A/Cs, refrigerators and gutters through their respective resident welfare associations.
SMS ALERT
As a part of the awareness campaign, the Corporation of Chennai (CoC) is planning to send free dengue awareness text messages to the public. The database consists around 5 lakh numbers and regular alerts would be sent on causes, preventive measures and treatment facilities available.