RAWALPINDI: There are close to 350 confirmed dengue fever cases in the city but the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) has failed to clear puddles on the Murree Road at the site of the Metro Bus Project which are a safe haven for dengue mosquitoes.

The number of dengue patients increased to 359 in three government-run hospitals as 42 new patients were declared positive on Wednesday, 18 new dengue patients arrived at the Holy Family Hospital in last 24 hours, 17 in District Headquarters hospital and seven in Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

Rainwater accumulated at many places along the Murree Road is a cause for concern as dengue larvae breeds in stagnant water and lack of attention can further contribute to the growing number of dengue patients in the city.

“When water remains stagnant for more than five days, it becomes an ideal site for mosquitoes to breed. We found many mosquitoes in under construction plazas in the city and tyre shops,” said District Officer Environment Mohammad Nawaz, while talking to Dawn.

Number of dengue patients rises to 359 in three government-run hospitals

He said that the puddles should be cleared without delay otherwise dengue larvae may breed at these sites.

He said that it was the duty of Rawalpindi Waste Management Company, Rawal Town Municipal Administration and Rawalpindi Development Authority to ensure that water was not allowed to accumulate anywhere.

An official of the CDGR retorted that it was the contractor’s responsibility to clear rainwater from metro bus project site.

He said that the contractors had been ordered to ensure that this was done immediately but failed to do so because most labourers at the site had not returned to work after Eidul Azha.

However, most residents of Rawalpindi who spoke to Dawn said that they believed that it was the duty of the local administration to take action and deal with the problem of dengue.

They said that slush, mud and stagnant water at the construction site are a nuisance in addition to being a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies.

“I close the windows of my car while driving on Murree Road especially when bringing my children home from school to avoid dengue,” said Furqan Hameed, a resident of Satellite Town.

He said millions of rupees had been spent by the government on advertisement to inform people about ways of ensuring dengue does not spread but the city administration has failed to follow these instructions.

Suhail Raja, a resident of Sadiqabad said that three of his neighbours had been diagnosed with dengue fever and there were a many puddles of water in the area.

“One can see mosquitoes around the surface of water but no one in the administration seems perturbed. The residents of our area consulted a medical practitioner about ways of avoiding dengue and hired the services of a private sanitary worker to clear stagnant water,” he said.

District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar Dall was unavailable to comment the matter and his cell phone remained switched off.

He was not in his office in the morning and his staff said that he was in meeting regarding Muharram security issue.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2014