KP to improve sanitation in dengue hotspots

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to launch a special project to improve the general sanitation, drainage and water supply system in dengue hotspots of Peshawar as a long-term strategy to effectively contain the breeding of dengue mosquitoes.

The hotspots include Bazidkhel, Mashokhel, Phandu, Tehkal, Sufaid Dehri, Pishtakhara, Acheeni, Kotla Mohsin Khan, Sarband and others.

The decision was taken at a meeting held here on Tuesday with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair, said a handout.

Provincial Ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, administrative secretaries, Peshawar Commissioner, Peshawar Development Authority director-general and officials of the Health Department attended the meeting.

The meeting reviewed the latest dengue situation in the province with a special focus on the Peshawar division, anti-dengue measures being taken by the departments concerned and district administrations.

The implementation status of decisions taken in the last meeting on curbing dengue was reviewed as well.

The chief minister stressed the need to undertake a special project to improve the general sanitation, drainage and drinking water supply system in the hotspots of Peshawar.

He directed the Health Department to immediately identify such interventions in the affected areas and asked the Local Government Department to prepare a PC-1 for those interventions.

The chief minister directed the officials to ensure the implementation of all activities under the proposed project by March next year.

He directed the commissioner to personally monitor the implementation of the project.

Mahmood Khan directed all the divisional commissioners to monitor anti-dengue activities in their respective divisions.

Briefing about the implementation status of decisions taken in the last meeting, it was informed that dengue tests were being carried free of cost in the three tertiary level hospitals of Peshawar.

It was added that the District Health Officer of Peshawar has been replaced and an enquiry committee constituted to look into the funds utilized by various departments for the anti-dengue activities.

The meeting was informed that over 8,000 dengue cases had been reported thus far with nine deaths in the province, adding over 650 teams were working for larval mechanical sweeping in the hotspots of Peshawar.