MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to implement the 'Kerala model' to contain coronavirus in Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia which has turned a COVID-19 epicentre with 1300 patients and 57 deaths so far.
The 'Kerala model', sources said, is likely to help the authorities to isolate all suspected people and do contact tracing effectively.
With 15 lakh people living in 550 acres, Dharavi is one of the most densely-populated areas in Mumbai. This largest segment of people (30%) in the slum are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
State minister and Congress MLA from Dharavi Varsha Gaikwad admitted that the corona positive cases and deaths are on the rise in the slum and the administration has been trying its best to control the situation.
Explaining the 'Kerala model' in Dharavi, she said: “We are trying to set up large numbers of isolation centres so that the infected and suspected people from Dharavi will be relocated there. This decision was taken as the home quarantine strategy is not helping. We are also focusing on contact tracing. Our first task is to decongest Dharavi by asking migrants to go to their native states.”
Varsha Gaikwad said that they have made a 1008-bed isolation centre at Bandra-Kurla Complex, a 500-bed transit camp in Dharavi and a 300-bed centre at Sport Complex in Dharavi with arrangements to accommodate another 1200 at Nature park.
“The community toilet is a major issue at the quarantine centres. The BMC-appointed IIT engineers committee also feels that it is one of the major reasons behind the spread of COVID-19. To ensure the minimum movement of people, we are trying to provide mobile toilets,” the minister said.
Social activist Rajendra Korde said the high density of the population is a major hurdle when it comes to containing the coronavirus in Dharavi.
“In our area, the number of TB patients are also high as people get infected with the disease easily due to lack of space between houses. This also results in spreading of the coronavirus there,” said Korde.