NEW DELHI: Around 26 lakh children studying in various government and private schools of the city will soon be trained to check mosquitoes breeding in their homes and neighbourhoods to fight the
dengue and
chikungunya menace.
“If every student inspects hisher house for
mosquito breeding for just 10 minutes before leaving for school, together we can defeat dengue and chikungunya,“ said chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal at a mega training programme organised on Friday to train teachers, RWAs, civil defence members and NGOs to check breeding of mosquitoes.
He added that housewives also need to be involved in the fight against the vector-borne diseases. Two short films screened at the training programme showed how a little carelessness can cause dengue and chikungunya. Mosquitoes breed in clean water of coolers, plant pots, rainwater accumulated in tyres and discarded pots, uncovered overhead tanks, water accumulated on rooftops, among other places.
“Schools should regularly show the short films to children to create awareness about what can lead to mosquito breeding and how it can be nipped in the bud. At first, the films can be shown daily for a couple of days and then screened every week,“ said deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
Delhi has witnessed a spike in dengue and chikungunya cases since July . “The authorities focus more on cure than prevention, so the root causes remain unaddressed.Prevention of the disease is more important. People should take a vow that they will not allow mosquitoes to breed within 200 metres of their homes,“ said Sisodia.
All district magistrates have been asked by the government to organise training programmes on fighting mosquito breeding for RWAs, who can pass on the information to their colony residents. The RWAs and schools would be given CDs of the educational films.