Guntur Municipal Corporation takes up special sanitation drive
GUNTUR: In response to the torrential rains attributed to Cyclone Michaung, the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has undertaken a comprehensive set of measures to address and alleviate the impact of seasonal diseases in Guntur city.
Among these measures is the initiation of a special sanitation drive, with officials directed to focus on sanitation across all 57 divisions, organised into 22 sanitary divisions by the malaria division of GMC.
Sanitation workers have been strategically deployed to carry out regular cleaning and unclogging operations throughout the city, aiming to minimise the risk of water stagnation and the subsequent outbreak of diseases.
A noteworthy initiative involves the release of Gambusia fish into stagnant water bodies to control larvae and combat diseases associated with the prolonged monsoon season. Civic body chief Kirthi Chekuri emphasised the primary objective of preventing water-borne and vector-borne diseases, particularly in areas where rainwater stagnation has occurred.
In a review meeting with the Medical Health Officer (MHO) and sanitary supervisors, Chekuri instructed officials to expedite water bailout efforts and immediately undertake silt removal to prevent the spread of seasonal diseases.
Simultaneously, officials are urging the public to consume clean boiled drinking water as a precautionary measure against waterborne diseases. However, the persistence of untidy vacant lands with stagnant water and overgrown plants is causing considerable inconvenience to citizens. The official reports indicate the presence of over 12,000 vacant lands in the city, with many left unattended for years. In response to this issue, GMC has directed landowners to undertake cleaning activities, maintain tidiness, and issued orders to impose additional taxes on negligent owners, although the results have not met expectations.
Residents, such as P Usha Kaivalya from AT Agraharam, highlight the challenges faced due to stagnant water and weed plants in vacant lands near residential areas, leading to a mosquito menace. While initial civic instructions prompted a cleaning drive by the landowner, including the removal of overgrown plants and leveling with sand, the problem resurfaced after a few months. Residents like Kaivalya are urging officials to address the matter seriously and provide a permanent solution to mitigate these recurring issues.