Gandhinagar, Aug 4 (IANS) Health authorities in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar have intensified surveillance and vector-control measures following recent heavy rainfall, carrying out thousands of water quality checks, household inspections and mosquito-control operations to reduce the risk of water-borne and vector-borne diseases during the monsoon.
According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), its Health Department has been undertaking preventive and relief measures across the city to ensure safe drinking water and curb the spread of disease.
As of 9 a.m. on Tuesday, officials had conducted 714 chlorine tests and collected 334 drinking water samples for laboratory examination across the city's seven zones.
The South Zone recorded the highest activity with 172 chlorine tests and 76 water samples, followed by the West Zone with 134 chlorine tests and 66 water samples.
The North Zone carried out 98 chlorine tests and collected 49 samples, while the East Zone conducted 91 tests and collected 48 samples.
The Central Zone completed 89 tests and 40 samples, the South West Zone 68 tests and 29 samples, and the North West Zone 62 tests and 26 samples.
The civic body said that on August 3, teams across the city had conducted 2,258 chlorine tests, while water-sampling teams had also remained active to monitor drinking water quality.
To ensure access to healthcare in rain-affected localities, the corporation has deployed mobile medical vans and mobile medical teams, which are providing free health examinations, distributing essential medicines and offering health guidance to residents.
The Health Department has also distributed 10,022 chlorine tablets across the city to ensure safe drinking water.
Distribution included 1,796 tablets in the South Zone, 1,599 in the West Zone, 1,590 in the South West Zone, 1,399 in the Central Zone, 1,279 in the North West Zone, 1,254 in the North Zone and 1,105 in the East Zone.
On August 3 alone, 37,887 chlorine tablets were distributed citywide. The AMC Health Department said preventive health measures would continue throughout the monsoon to prevent the spread of water-borne and vector-borne diseases.
Meanwhile, the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) has stepped up mosquito-control measures after a break in the rains.
Over the past three days, 150 vector control teams inspected 29,759 houses and examined 38,624 water-holding containers, including tanks, drums, barrels and pots.
The inspections identified 395 houses with mosquito breeding, where 629 breeding containers tested positive.
The breeding sources were destroyed immediately, while Abate larvicide treatment was carried out in clean water storage containers.
Officials also collected blood samples from 271 suspected fever cases for laboratory diagnosis. As part of post-rain vector-control operations, the civic body sprayed 430 litres of burnt oil in roadside pits, drains, tanks and other locations with stagnant rainwater to control mosquito breeding.
During the past week, indoor fogging was carried out in 1,392 houses, while one round of outdoor cold fogging was also completed. The corporation said the operations would continue.
In areas such as large lakes and locations inaccessible to ground teams, drones were used to spray 3,000 litres of biological larvicide.
The municipal corporation said another round of drone spraying would be undertaken during August to prevent mosquito breeding in these water bodies.
The GMC also urged residents to wear full-sleeved clothing during the day, sleep under mosquito nets at night and ensure that water does not stagnate in or around their homes to help reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases.
--IANS
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