A door-to-door programme was held on Friday to educate households about cleaning overhead tanks, sumps, flower pots, refrigerators, and all places in the house and surroundings that may lead to breeding of mosquitoes.
Hyderabad: Amid rising cases of vector-borne diseases like dengue, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has started an awareness programme in various city localities. This initiative aims to educate the community on how to prevent dengue and involves student volunteers. Residents observed Friday as ‘dry day’ and removed sources of standing water to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
To stop the spread of waterborne diseases, the GHMC undertook a wide-scale awareness programme. On Friday, they held an initiative to prevent dengue, malaria, and other vector-borne diseases across the city. The door-to-door programme aimed to educate households about cleaning water storage containers like overhead tanks, sumps, flower pots, refrigerators, and all places in the house and its surroundings that may lead to mosquito breeding.
The GHMC advised residents and students in schools to inform their communities about the importance of keeping their surroundings clean. As part of this programme, households are taught the need to empty water storage containers once a week. “We are explaining to households how sumps and overhead tanks in households turn into mosquito breeding spots if the water is not changed weekly,” said a senior officer at GHMC.
In schools, biology teachers demonstrated to students how mosquitoes breed from larva to an adult mosquito. Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi asked citizens to observe every Friday as ‘dry day.’ On Friday, residents searched for and removed sources of standing water in their homes and surroundings. She emphasised the need to keep the surroundings clean, with a special focus on getting rid of stagnant water, which can act as a mosquito breeding ground. Vijayalakshmi directed volunteers to prevent water from accumulating in old coolers, tires, or plant pots.
The mayor also called upon school teachers to incorporate lessons on cleanliness and mosquito prevention into their curriculum, ensuring that students understand the importance of these measures. GHMC Commissioner Amrapali Kata ordered officers to visit field levels and take preventive measures, especially in slums. Officers from all departments coordinated for field visits and were asked to focus on anti-larval operations.
“To educate people, IEC programmes are being conducted in hotspot areas where mosquitoes are most problematic. Besides, oil balls are being released in lakes and ponds,” she added.
Fogging and anti-larval operations were also carried out. Officers, in collaboration with Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs), are taking measures to prevent diseases related to mosquitoes.
