'Terminator' Train to Fight Chikungunya, Dengue In Delhi

To combat chikungunya and dengue, a 'terminator' train mounted with spraying machines to target insects will now be pressed into action in Delhi. The move, a joint collaboration between Delhi's civic bodies and Northern Railways, will begin from September 23 and continue for two months, with an interval of two weeks.

As per the plan, an insecticide spraying machine will be mounted on the last wagon of the special train, which will then make its rounds through the NCR. The sprayers can sanitise up to a distance of 50-60 meters from the tracks.

"This train will cover a distance of 150 km approximately and we hope this will help curb the mosquito menace in the capital,"said a municipal official.

Municipal officials said while the power sprayer will be provided to the railways by the civic agencies, the targeted areas will be the large population living around railway tracks who are exposed to aedes and other types of mosquitoes leading to a comparatively higher incidence of dengue and malaria.

"The water bodies formed on the land adjacent to tracks, which are otherwise inaccessible, act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The insecticide sprayed over the water bodies will check the threat in the most effective manner," said a municipal official.

The terminator train will pass through Old Delhi's Sarai Rohilla, Patel Nagar, Delhi Cantonment, Palam, Safdarjung, Kishanganj, Lajpat Nagar, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Adarsh Nagar, Rathdhana, Shahdara, Palam and Gurgaon.

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Meanwhile, taking a cue from the rising number of diseases, the Delhi government on Friday issued orders asking all private hospitals to furnish data of chikungunya patients to ensure proper monitoring of the disease.

"The information is imperative to ensure proper monitoring and for making future policies. We have asked all hospitals to give us all information regarding chikungunya cases," said a Delhi government official. The Delhi government has also asked all mohalla clinics, nursing homes, polyclinics to remain open on all holidays.

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Recent reports claim that chikungunya and dengue have wreaked havoc in the Capital with the death toll from the two vector-borne diseases climbing to 30. The number of affected people has crossed 3,000.

Source-Medindia