Water stagnation due to leakage from DJB pipes causing Dengue:BJP

New Delhi, Oct 11 (UNI) Leakage from Delhi Jal Board pipes supplying drinking water to various areas of the city which results in stagnation of accumulated water is a major cause of Dengue outbreak in the capital, the Opposition BJP in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today alleged.

''Stagnant water in coolers is not the chief cause of the spread of dengue in the capital. The main reason for its spread is stagnation of water being supplied by the Delhi Jal Board which accumulates owing to leakage in pipes which are about 50 years old and are in a dilapidated condition,'' Leader of the Opposition in the MCD Subhash Arya and Member, Standing Committee Vijender Gupta told reporters here.

Mr Gupta and Mr Arya also alleged wastage of about 40 per cent of water being supplied.

''The Delhi Jal board had chalked out an action plan as far back as 2003 in this regard. However, no efforts have been made till date to deal with the problem,''Mr Gupta alleged.

Alleging that the Congress had miserably failed to prevent the outbreak of Dengue, Mr Arya said,''It is a known fact that the months of September, October and November are congenial to the breeding of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. But no preventive measures were taken in time to combat breeding of mosquitoes. When steps were initiated, Dengue had already shown its furore.'' The number of Dengue cases in the capital today rose to 1101, 709 of which were reported from Delhi while 392 cases were reported from outside states.

The maximum number of 126 cases were reported from Central zone, 86 from Sahhdara (North), 82 from Najafgarh, 61 from Shahdara (South), 54 from West zone and 51 from Karol Bagh.

Mr Arya alleged that every year before the festive season of Dussehra, Diwali and Eid, the MCD used to launch a cleanliness-cum-maintenance drive. This year, no such drive had been launched nor has any special meeting of the House been called.

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