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Debris from flood-affected houses and garbage; deadly cocktail for dengue
View(s):Dumping debris in an adhoc manner from houses in the aftermath of the flood, could contribute to a rise in dengue cases, health officials warned. The warning came as the people in and around Colombo began cleaning their houses affected by the flood.
Mattresses, pillows, electrical items and other household goods that cannot be used are being piled up on road sides along with garbage.
A camp in Puttalam being fogged. Pic by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
National coordinator of the dengue control unit, Dr. Hasitha Thissera, said people should refrain from piling up debris in front of their homes. Dr. Thissera who is also a Consultant Epidemiologist said dogs, crows and mice pull garbage collected in sili sili bags or garbage bags and these then collect water or clog drainage systems creating breeding places for mosquitoes.
“This is a major issue, people too cannot keep garbage in their homes for a long time. He added that residents should compost organic material and collect metal and bottles together and plastic items separately in gunny bags. He said that the public can too use three enclosed bins at their gates and separately discard garbage if they really want to keep garbage away from the house.
“We have deployed inspectors to flood affected areas to fog the camps and search and destroy mosquito breeding places,” he said.
Dr. Thissera added there was a six week window period before the number of mosquitoes increased. Therefore the public and local government officials should engage in getting rid of breeding places.
Debris piles up in Sedawatte, Kolonnawa. Pic by Amila Gamage
Acting Chief Medical Officer M.A.S.G Rathnawardena too said camps housing the displaced and flood affected areas are being fogged, while chemicals are also being sprayed but to a lesser degree as it could get washed away by the rains. She said they are mainly concentrating their efforts in areas such as as Madampitiya, and Mahawatte areas bordering the Kelani river and areas surrounding St. Sebastian Canal in Colombo.
A CMC official said garbage was not being collected on a regular basis these days following the floods because many of the garbage dumping sites had been submerged in water. As a result people are dumping garbage on the roadside, he said.
Houses hit by the flood in Kotikawatte. Pix by Indika Handuwala
A school premises in Kotikawatte flooded out