Missing: mosquito drive in sting zones - Dengue Dread

Kestopur canal

TT, 21 October 2016: Several pockets in Calcutta are in the grip of dengue but there is little attempt by the authorities to check the menace. Doctors at a dozen hospitals say the number of patients suffering from the disease, caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is on the rise again. The worst-hit areas are Dum Dum, Rajarhat Jadavpur, Santoshpur, Mukundapur, Belgachhia, Bhowanipore, Salt Lake, Beniapukur, Entally and Garfa. Metro visited some of these places and found mosquito-control measures were still scarce.

Dum Dum

At least 10 residents in a tiny area on Purba Sinthee Road in Dum Dum, along the banks of the Kestopur canal, are said to have tested positive for dengue over the past few days. The near-stagnant water of the canal and also the water accumulated in the cowsheds standing cheek by jowl with residential buildings are perfect breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

Sarbari Maity, 42, said three of her family members were suffering from dengue and admitted to Infectious Diseases Hospital in Beleghata. Her elder daughter-in-law Sarbari Maity, 38, had been afflicted with dengue two weeks ago and suffered a miscarriage a few days back. "I am yet to see any municipal worker fumigating our neighbourhood," Sarbari said.

Bhowanipore

Three persons died of dengue in a Bhowanipore neighbourhood recently. Two of them - school-going brothers Vivek, 8, and Sajan, 6 - were residents of a house in Shashi Sekhar Bose Row. The third victim - 23-year-old Ashok Ram - lived 50m away on Bijoy Bose Road.

"Despite the three deaths in a row, water is still allowed to accumulate near the footpath. The water comes from a roadside hotel operating out of a shanty. We are living in constant fear of death," said Aruna, an aunt of the siblings.

Residents of the area said the civic authorities had not undertaken any vector-control activity over the past two-three weeks.

Salt Lake

Water dripping from the elevated East-West Metro corridor accumulates on the unpaved sidewalks near the Karunamoyee bus stand, creating breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Residents say mosquitoes also breed in an open tank in front of Bidyut Bhavan and an open drainage channel near the CA Island-EM Bypass crossing. "We have not seen civic workers spraying larvicide in the area," said Karunamoyee resident Amrita Chakraborty.

Belgachhia

Residents of Masjidgali, near the Belgachhia flyover, said mosquitoes were breeding in roadside drains. More than 20 residents have tested positive for dengue. "We have repeatedly requested the civic authorities to send vector-control teams but they have not done so. Two dengue deaths in the area have failed to jolt the authorities into action," said businessman Tayeb Ali, 36.

Santoshpur

A cowshed and open drains provide ample space for mosquitoes to breed. The cowshed at Shantipath in Santoshpur is right in the middle of a densely populated area, about 150m from Sukanta Setu. "We have tried to get the cowshed removed but failed," said Priyadarshini Mukherjee, whose father had suffered from dengue just before Puja.

Mukundapur

Two persons have died of dengue and 26 others have been infected with the virus in a co-operative society, which is right beside a clogged canal running parallel to the Bypass between Mukundapur and Ajaynagar. Residents said the civic body had undertaken vector-control measures in mid-September, after the two deaths. "But since Puja none of the civic workers has visited the area," a resident said.

Rajarhat

Residents of Rajarhat's Atghora said their whole area has turned into Infectious Diseases Hospital because of open drains. Sheikh Nizamuddin, 43, who had tested positive for dengue and was discharged from hospital a week back, said: "Many residents are afflicted with the disease but rarely do we see civic workers spraying larvicide."

Reporting: Rith Basu & Snehal Sengupta. Pictures: Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya & Bishwarup Dutta