According to reports, the fever death toll in Kerala has now crossed 200. Most of these deaths are H1N1- and dengue-related. The lack of cleanliness and sanitation is often a fundamental cause of such illnesses. The Kerala health department has not yet come up with a unique way to tackle the situation. Every day, press releases are issued cautioning doctors and health officers, but there seems to be no improvement. The streets in various parts of the state are lined with the waste discarded by fish vendors and hoteliers. All this filth, mixed with stagnant water, leads to the breeding of mosquitoes, which spread deadly diseases.
The panchayat and municipal authorities do not seem to be bothered about mobilizing field staff to keep the streets clean. Instead, they wish to instal CCTVs to identify and fine polluters. Clearly the installation of CCTVs is a more profitable business for the authorities than cleaning up the streets. No proper mosquito eradication method has been adopted so far. The State should ensure that the people are equipped to deal with fever. They should be given basic medicines and made aware of ways to keep mosquitoes at bay.
K A Solaman
The Telegraph, Calculta
July 4, 2017
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