Kejriwal seeks Delhi RWAs' role to combat dengue

Kejriwal seeks Delhi RWAs' role to combat dengue

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference, in New Delhi on Sep 24, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) To make the national capital dengue-free, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here on Tuesday announced a five-point action plan for the resident welfare associations (RWAs) for better coordination and cooperation in curbing the disease.

Thanking RWAs for cooperation, Kejriwal said, they would have to ensure that the pamphlet on dengue prevention steps and dengue-free sticker reached every household, spread the message on their WhatsApp groups to encourage people to inspect their houses for dengue on Sundays, issue 'inspect your house' circular every Sunday and convince residents to do the same.

The sticker be pasted on the wall to notify that the house was dengue-free and RWAs must contribute actively to keep dengue out of the city, he said.

On the '10Hafte10Baje10Minute' initiative, he said, experts told us dengue "repeats cycle every 3-4 years". In 2015, over 15,000 dengue cases and 60 deaths were reported. In 2016, 2,800 cases were reported.

While the government was ensuring sufficient facilities at hospitals to treat dengu cases, the public support to the drive had been tremendous, he said. "Only 221 dengue cases have been reported this year," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Delhi would be dengue-free by 2020. "Everybody's support is needed to make Delhi dengue-free," he said.

The Delhi government launched an anti-dengue campaign on September 1 and urged the residents, including MLAs and officials, to take part in ot.

--IANS

nks/pcj