Ahmedabad, July 24 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has intensified its public health response to the ongoing heavy rainfall, distributing more than 71,000 chlorine tablets across the city and deploying round-the-clock mobile medical teams as part of efforts to prevent water-borne and vector-borne diseases during the monsoon.
According to the AMC’s Health Department, a series of preventive and relief measures have been undertaken across all seven city zones to ensure access to safe drinking water, provide medical care in affected areas and minimise the risk of disease outbreaks.
As of 1:40 p.m. on July 24, the Health Department had conducted 1,784 chlorine tests on drinking water across the city and collected 175 water samples for laboratory testing.
The chlorine tests included 405 in the Central Zone, 406 in the West Zone, 198 in the North-West Zone, 322 in the South-West Zone, 138 in the North Zone, 277 in the East Zone and 38 in the South Zone.
Water samples collected for testing comprised 34 from the Central Zone, 52 from the West Zone, 11 from the North-West Zone, 12 from the South-West Zone, 24 each from the North and East zones, and 18 from the South Zone.
The civic body said it had distributed 20,474 chlorine tablets on July 23 and a further 50,957 tablets by 1.40 pm on July 24, taking the total to 71,431 tablets over the two days.
On July 24 alone, the South-West Zone received the highest allocation with 22,304 tablets, followed by 13,676 in the West Zone.
The remaining distribution included 3,500 tablets in the Central Zone, 3,205 in the North West Zone, 2,752 in the North Zone, 3,254 in the East Zone and 2,266 in the South Zone.
To provide immediate healthcare in rain-affected localities, AMC has deployed mobile medical vans and medical teams operating around the clock.
The teams are carrying out free health check-ups, distributing medicines and providing health guidance on site.
The Health Department said Urban and Community Health Centres treated 4,993 outpatients on July 23, including 1,221 in the East Zone, 1,055 in the South Zone, 773 in the West Zone, 749 in the North Zone, 599 in the North-West Zone, 390 in the Central Zone and 206 in the South-West Zone.
The Malaria Department has also expanded surveillance to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. By 1:40 p.m. on July 24, officials had inspected 46,406 houses, with 764 found positive during surveillance.
They also examined 1,12,670 water-holding containers, of which 866 were found positive.
Fogging operations were carried out at 13,994 houses using 199 litres of MLO, while BTI treatment was undertaken at six locations and other vector-control treatment at 531 locations.
As part of relief efforts, AMC distributed 7,300 food packets to families affected by the heavy rain.
The distribution included 1,000 packets each at Gota Housing and Asarwa, 1,200 in the Madhumalati area of the East Zone, 700 elsewhere in the East Zone, 500 each in Sarkhej, the Dudheshwar Control Room, Shankar Bhuvan Chhapra, Malav Talav, Gomtipur and Danilimda, and 200 each at Gota Talav and Nitin Nagar.
Alongside its health measures, AMC said it is also using the rainfall to improve water management. Rainwater is being diverted into all 37 lakes in the corporation’s East Zone to reduce waterlogging in surrounding areas while replenishing water bodies that had dried up during the summer.
AMC Health Committee Chairman Deepak Panchal said rainwater had been diverted towards lakes in the East Zone “so that rainwater is stored in the lakes and waterlogging does not occur in the surrounding areas.”
He added: “During the monsoon, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is not only focusing on the drainage of rainwater, but is also working with the approach of making rainwater a useful resource. Storing rainwater in lakes promotes water conservation and is a positive and significant step for the city’s environment and water management.”
The lakes where rainwater is being stored include Nikol Gam Lake, Vastral Gam Lake, Gafurvasti Lake in the Ramol area, Dhekati Lake, Talavadi Chhapra and Odhav Gam Lake, among others.
The Health Department said Health and Malaria Department teams remain on alert across all city zones and will continue distributing chlorine tablets, monitoring drinking water quality, operating mobile medical services, carrying out vector-control measures and providing relief assistance to safeguard public health during the monsoon.
–IANS
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