Delhi / Delhi CM urges citizens to take part in anti-dengue campaign amid rising cases

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has again urged Delhi’s citizens to participate in the ‘10 Hafte, 10 Baje, 10 Minute, Har Sunday Dengue Par Vaar’ campaign, where they will check for stagnant water in their homes and drain it to prevent mosquito breeding.

“Every Sunday, at 10 am, let us all spend 10 minutes inspecting our homes and surrounding areas for any sign of stagnant water. If you do find water, drain it, replace it or cover it with a small layer of oil. Let us all join hands to make Delhi, dengue free,” he said.

Mayor of the South MCD Mukesh Suryan said that the civic body is also conducting special drives in vacant buildings, junk vehicles, offices and challans are being issued. He said awareness campaigns through various modes including radio jingles are also being carried out.

Around this time last year, the Delhi government had started a campaign to rid the city of dengue. The ministers, MLAs and government officers are partaking in the campaign.

In 2015, 15,867 cases of dengue had been reported. In 2019, the campaign was launched and cases dropped to 2,036. In 2020, cases were further reduced to 1,269 and not a single death was reported. There have been 480 cases reported so far in 2021, of which nearly 140 have been reported in one week alone, according to a civic report released on Monday Oct 11. This is also the highest number of cases reported this time in the past three years. However, no deaths have been reported due to dengue in the city this year till now.

Citizens are advised to change the water in their coolers, pots, etc. The campaign will go on for 10 weeks. The maximum number of cases are reported between September 1 and November 15 every year. The aim is to spread awareness, so every person gives 10 minutes every week for 10 weeks to curb mosquito breeding. ‘The Raaga of Delhi, Say No To Dengue’ is the tagline of this week’s campaign.