SDMC to fight dengue, chikungunya with tablets

After identifying high mosquito- breeding zones in its area, the SDMC has now armed 200 vector-control staff with app-loaded tablets that would allow them to collect data for real-time monitoring.

South Delhi Mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat today launched the tablets with a special mobile application in the presence of several dengue breeding checkers (DBCs) who have been given a special uniform, a cap and a new ID.

Municipal Commissioner P K Goel said the model has been adopted from the one used by the Surat Municipal Corporation.

"We first identified vulnerable wards -- where high degree of mosquito-breeding had been reported in the last two-three years. And then we decided to equip DBCs in those areas with these tablets.
 

"Keeping records on paper is a tough job and through technology we would also be able to monitor real-time as to where breeding is more, and who are the people not allowing checking of their household premises (checking coolers, etc) for mosquito-breeding, if any, by the DBCs," Sehrawat told reporters.

For households, where breeding is found, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has also planned to introduce another penal provision against violators.

"The monitoring would allow us to find areas where more violations are happening. As per the norm, we will first issue educational literature about mosquito-breeding control and then notice would be sent and further they would be challaned. But if needed, we would also recover any incurred cost from their house tax," a senior SDMC official said.

The GPS-based tablets are loaded with a special mobile application and each DBC has been given a login id and password to use it.

"The app would automatically pick up the location details and after feeding the name of the household owner/tenant, the data would be fed based on various parameters, like breeding of mosquitoes in open water containers, desert coolers, utensils in garden, etc, and if breeding is found, it would be marked on the spot, and the entire data would be be fed to the SDMC main vector-controlling unit," an official of the SDMC's information technology department said.

There is also a provision for the DBC to take a picture with the help of the app and upload it.

According to the latest report on vector-borne diseases, released by the SDMC today, at least 70 cases of dengue and 135 of chikungunya have been reported in Delhi till June 10.

Mayor Sehrawat, acknowledging the problems faced by DBCs -- about 1,300 in SDMC -- in carrying out their job, said the SDMC was working on resolving the issues.

"In many cases, when DBCs go for checking households, women do not allow them inside as they are lonely at home. Also, on several occasions, households are found locked on weekdays as people are at work.

"So, we are thinking of having some of the DBCs working on weekends, and get a compensatory off sometime during the weekday," she added.

Goel said the efficacy of the project would be monitored over the period of next four months.

"And based on that, we would expand the ambit to other areas. And, maybe, also to other departments like for sanitary inspectors," he said.

Sources said the number of women DBCs in the SDMC (and other two corporations as well) is "very minuscule".

Saraswati, 40, a DBC in Jaitpur ward in Badarpur area, who has been working for the last 20 years, said, "Sometime, we cannot enter a household because there are men at home. Some mechanism has to be worked out to coordinate with local area councillor and RWAs to address these issues."

AAP councillor and Leader of House in the SDMC Ramesh praised the initiative while appealing to the mayor to "address the shortage of DBC staff and recruit more of them".

Rohit Kumar, 24, a DBC from a ward in Najafgarh Zone, said, "This would really help us. Earlier, our log books used to get wet in rain. Now, it would be convenient."

The SDMC has 104 wards across four zones -- South, Central, Najafgarh and West. The civic body has identified 16 vulnerable wards for the project.