BMC’s Dengue Prevention Meeting: A Unified Effort Towards a Dengue-Free City

Bhubaneswar: Today, a pivotal review meeting on dengue prevention and associated plans took place at the BMC headquarters.

Chairing the meeting, BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange reviewed the outreach of medical teams, emphasizing the need for detailed reports, including doctors, sanitary inspectors, and ward officers’ visits to specific areas, houses, schools, and more.

A critical shift has been made towards daily reporting, tracking efforts at the grassroots level, especially focusing on daily awareness programs in schools.

The meeting saw active participation from Additional Commissioner Subhendu Kumar Sahu, ADUPHO in charge, Dr Suman Sundaray, Chief Municipal Medical Officer Dr Satyabrata Chhotray, City Health Officer Dr Deepak Bisoi, all medical practitioners within the BMC area, zonal deputy commissioners, ward officers, Sanitary Inspectors, and Swachh supervisors.

To intensify fight against dengue, the implementation of ‘Dry Days’ in every ward was underscored, with a call to all zonal deputy commissioners, ward officers, and Sanitary Inspectors to collaborate closely with local corporators in their respective wards. These collaborative efforts extend to waste segregation initiatives and dengue awareness campaigns, now operating in a war mode.

To ensure active monitoring, ward officers will conduct field visits post 5 PM daily, overseeing activities like fogging, mosquito oil spraying, and other preventive measures. Zonal deputy commissioners are tasked with field visits and real-time monitoring, providing daily reports on bush-cutting, waste collection, and related activities.

Specialized ward and zone-level plans for Dengue prevention are in the pipeline. A new task force, comprising doctors, Sanitary Inspectors, Ward Officers, Swachh Supervisors, and Swachh Sathi, will spearhead door-to-door campaigns on Dengue prevention, waste segregation, and mass cleaning. Additionally, Ward Officers and Sanitary Inspectors will monitor mosquito oil spraying, fogging, bush-cutting, and provide photographic evidence through the ‘SAFA Bhubaneswar’ app, both in the morning and evening.

The Commissioner has requested that no bushes or waste should be left underneath the trees or poles within the city. He has emphasized the need to capture and provide before-and-after photographs along with relevant details. This measure is intended to ensure the city’s cleanliness is effectively preserved.

He urged the BMC staff to put their best foot forward, ensuring each ward becomes Dengue-free through collective and unwavering efforts.