THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The local self-government department has strongly rejected Health Minister K Muraleedharan’s claim that pre-monsoon sanitation activities were delayed due to the assembly elections and the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, terming it “factually incorrect.” The counter comes at a time when the state is witnessing a rise in communicable diseases, including a surge in Shigella infections and other water-borne diseases.
According to LSGD officials, a total of Rs 59.29 crore and Rs 3.4 crore were earmarked for pre-monsoon sanitation and mosquito eradication activities respectively. “The statewide pre-monsoon drive was launched in March as scheduled and had been progressing uninterrupted. Local bodies earmarked Rs 59.29 crore for pre-monsoon sanitation and cleaning activities across Kerala’s 1,200 LSG institutions, while an additional Rs 3.49 crore was allocated for mosquito-control measures,” said a LSGD senior official.
According to the department, the sanitation campaign includes drain cleaning, removal of waste accumulation points, source reduction activities to eliminate mosquito breeding sites, vegetation clearance to prevent scrub typhus, and chlorination of wells and water sources.
Refuting suggestions that sanitation failures were responsible for the Shigella cases, officials said the infection is primarily transmitted through contaminated drinking water, poor hand hygiene and food contamination rather than waste accumulation.