INDIACSR News Network
JAMSHEDPUR: It was observed that vector borne diseases such as Dengue and Chikungunya pose a major threat to the denizens of Jamshedpur and surrounding areas.
In the year 2010-11, Jamshedpur faced an epidemic of Dengue. There were 132 confirmed cases of Dengue in Company’s command area and another 50 cases in Bagan Area. Last year, Jamshedpur also witnessed an outbreak of Chikungunya.
Both Dengue and Chikungunya spread through the bites of Aedes mosquito that breeds in small collections of freshwater in and around houses. Mosquito control cannot be effective if carried out only on an individual basis. For instance, if mosquito breeding sites are eliminated in one household but the houses in the neighbourhood are left out, the individuals in that household are not likely to get protection.
The challenging task of identifying and destroying such breeding places, once every week, can only be achieved with the active participation of the residents. The idea is to involve the residents of Steel City to observe Sunday as Drying Day, when each family in a locality commits 10 minutes to clean and remove all possible breeding sites of Aedes mosquitoes within house and in the surrounding areas.
To enhance awareness and mobilize community to actively participate in the Drying Day drive, Urban Services has rolled out Nukkad Naatak campaign in basti (urban settlement) areas. This is one of the core activities in addition to electronic, outdoor media campaign and door-to-door visits under the overarching ‘Drying Day’ campaign of JUSCO.
Urban Services has chalked out an extensive coverage plan to maximize contacts with people in the basti areas through Nukkad Naatak. Over a period of two months, Nukkad Naatak teams would present 48 shows in 48 locations to mobilize the community and make them act in this community-led drive.
The first set of shows was launched on July 12, 2012 at two locations, D B Chowk and Lal Building, Bagbera. The programme got an over whelming response from the community. Approximately 500 bustee people gathered to watch the show.
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