Desperate Delhi drafts army to fight mosquitoes

NEW DELHI - With dengue cases in the city crossing the 1,400 mark, the Indian Army will be drafted to fight mosquito menace near the Commonwealth Games Village, where athletes and delegates will stay during the Oct-3-14 mega event, an official said Wednesday.

A decision to deploy the army was taken at a meeting of health officials held by Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia and Lt. Governor Tejendra Khanna has accorded it his approval, according to Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s Public Health Committee chairman V.K. Monga.

A letter will soon be sent to the army authorities, and army personnel will in a day or two start working with the help of MCD staffers, who apparently are finding it difficult to drain out water from the Village surroundings.

The services of the army’s engineering department are being secured to help in this task, officials said.

Due to massive construction work in and around the Games Village, which has been built on the Yamuna’s river-bed in east Delhi, and ar other venues for the mega sporting event, Delhi has witnessed a surge in dengue cases.

Monga told IANS that the army will drain out water from water pools near the Games Village, spray anti-larval chemical in the area, and clean and level pools flooded with incessant rains and Yamuna water.

He said the army’s help has been sought as it is better equipped to deal with such situations and its pesonnel can go down in the water.

“They also have all the equipment required for the work,” Monga added.

At least 24 Commonwealth countries have made inquiries about the status of dengue in the capital.

Mosquito breeding will be at its peak during the hot and humid October and the Yamuna banks are likely to be the main breeding ground for mosquitoes responsible for dengue and malaria, an official said.