Patna Residents Fear Rise in Dengue Cases, Demand Regular Fogging

Patna: Dengue, chikunguniya and diarrhoea cases are rising in Patna like never before following the worst ever waterlogging in Bihar’s capital city after the recent heavy rains. Residents of the localities that were hit are blaming government agencies for negligence and have demanded that urgent steps be taken to ensure regular fogging and spraying of bleaching and lime powder as well as speeding up of the cleanliness drive.

Umesh Singh and Satender Choudhary, residents of Kankarbagh, have urged the district administration and Patna Municipal Corporation to take immediate steps to prevent dengue, viral fever and other infectious diseases. “The government agencies are not serious about fogging and spraying. Even the waste and garbage after the water receded has not been removed from many places,” Singh, a businessman, alleged.

Choudhary, a retired government official, alleged neither regular fogging nor spraying of bleaching and lime powder was taking place. ”We have been demanding this but so far we have been ignored.”

On Sunday, hundreds of people with placards in their hands protested outside the residence of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, and shouted slogans against him and the state government for its failure to help them during days of waterlogging. The BJP is running the state government in the state in coalition with the Janata Dal (United), with Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister.

The protestors were mostly from the posh Rajendra Nagar, the colony worst hit by waterlogging from September 29 to October 7.

Contrary to repeated claims of the state government, most of the residents complained that officials concerned were doing fogging and spraying only on paper.

According to health department officials, dengue has spread to nearly 80 residential localities in Patna till date. Also, fresh dengue cases are being reported from new localities. Till Saturday, the number of dengue positive cases was 1,135 in Patna alone, while the total number of dengue cases reported in the state was 1,579.

The state government run PMCH superintendent Rajiv Ranjan told NewsClick that “Cases of dengue positive reported a rise in the past three to four days”.

On reports of of rising dengue cases, Alka Srivastav and Kiran Sharma, both housewives, said they were worried over lack of cleanliness as well as regular fogging and spraying.

Alka, a resident of P C Colony in Kankarbagh, one of the residential localities badly hit by waterlogging, also complained about government agencies “ignoring” sanitation issues after the water completely receded. ”There is lack of regular fogging in my locality even after out appeals to PMC officials,” she told NewsClick .

Kiran, a resident of Rajendra Nagar, also vented similar complaints.

Ranjeet Singh , a resident of Kankarbagh, said the stink had increased after the water receded with filth and garbage still scattered around.

The protestors on Sunday belonged to colonies, such as Kadam Kuan, Lohanipur, Bahadurpur, Agamkuan, Pirmuhani, Patliputra colony, Gola Road, Bazar Samiti, Anisabad, By-Pass,Phulwarisarif and other areas, and had a common complaint of fogging and spraying taking place only on paper.

Cases of diarrohea and chikunguniya are also reportedly increasing in Patna. Till last Tuesday, 76 chikunguniya cases were reported. The number went up to 90 on Thursday and 110 on Saturday. More than 100 children with diarrhoea were treated in the government-run PMCH in the past two days.

According to a senior police official here, more than a dozen police personnel, including a police officer, three police inspectors and police constables have been suffering from dengue fever in Patna.

Meanwhile, Patna Mayor Sita Sahu told the media that she had issued instructions for regular fogging and spraying in localities that were affected by waterlogging.

Principal Secretary of health department, Sanjay Kumar, claimed that government had been providing free dengue tests in different hospitals and health camps had been set up in residential localities. He said a team of experts from the Centre had found no cause for concern from water-borne disease in localities hit by waterlogging.

The health department also claimed that there had been no increase in dengue cases and ruled out any epidemic breakout as preventive measures had been taken. At least 10 teams were spraying synthetic parathyroid on the affected areas, the department claimed.

However, health officials admitted that the main cause of the spread of dengue was waterlogging, adding that "we have started distribution of bleaching powder in homes".