Bhubaneswar, July 5: In another significant step towards prevention of water and vector borne diseases, ‘the special intensive disinfection and massive cleanliness drive week’ started throughout Odisha with special focus on vulnerable districts.
The drive is conducted by Health & Family Welfare (H&FW), Panchayatiraj & Drinking Water ( PR&DW) departments. The drive would continue up to 11th July covering all villages, health facilities, public places, drinking water sources and other small water bodies generally used by people.
The PRI members, village communities, community leaders and ground level volunteers have been actively involved in the drive. The drive aims at safeguarding public health and preventing the seasonal water and vector born diseases.
For the purpose, 18 number of Special Drive Teams comprising of senior officers have been constituted. The teams are entrusted with responsibility of ensuring ground level implementation and real time monitoring of the drive. Each officer is assigned 2 districts for field level monitoring and supportive supervision. They are also overseeing and guiding the activities related to combating acute diarrheal disease, malaria and dengue.
All team members are now on move in their assigned districts. A specially designed checklist-based approach is being followed by all the team members for ensuring uniformity and accountability in public health interventions across all districts.
Available data show, on first day of the drive, around 55009 tube wells, 77334 dug wells, 98009 pipe water supply sources, 4,823 overhead tanks/water sumps, 1120 other water sources like ponds/stream water, chua etc were disinfected. Deep cleaning was done in 4436 health facilities, 10251 sample OT tests were conducted to determine the water quality, and 5,18,413 number of ORS packets along with 7,47, 836 halazone tablets were distributed on the same day. More than 12,155 villages and hamlets completed cleanliness drive in their respective villages.
Besides, 59 bottling plants, 1802 roadside eateries/street food vendors/ restaurants were inspected by food safety teams. They seized 2.87 quintals of stale food, and imposed a fine of Rs. 2,22,200.00 . During this season till 4th July, around Rs.18 lakhs of fine was collected, 22 bottling plants and 24 water hotels/restraints were closed through food safety enforcement drive.
Secretary H& FW Aswathy S. and Secretary PR & DW Girish S.N. urged the field level officials of both the departments have been urged to keep up the drive and ensure hundred percent disinfection/ cleanliness by 11th July.
