LG Anil Baijal to participate in anti-dengue campaign

The Delhi government's 10-week mass awareness campaign against dengue will get a boost with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal joining it on Sunday.

"Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will inspect their houses for stagnant water to prevent the breeding of disease-carrying mosquitoes on Sunday," an official said.

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi also supported the campaign on Saturday.

"I support @ArvindKejriwal. If all of us inspect our homes for just 10 minutes every Sunday morn (morning) we can successfully combat dengue. Make sure there's no standing water at any place in your home, and if there is, pour it out, replace it or pour oil over it. #10Hafte10Baje10Minute," she tweeted.

On September 1, Kejriwal had launched the campaign by inspecting his house for clean standing water.

In a video message, the chief minister had appealed to Delhi residents to give 10 minutes every Sunday-- between September 1 and November 15-- to ensure that there is no stagnant water in their houses or surroundings.

He had said the city reported 60 deaths and more than 15,000 cases of dengue in 2015 but in 2018, the number came down to 2,798 and only 4 deaths were reported.

"We need to reduce it further. We should try and ensure there's no death due to dengue this year," he had said appealing to people to popularise the campaign by posting pictures and videos on social media.

According to a statement issue on Friday, the LG has directed the DDA and the police to issue directions to their respective departments to join the ongoing campaign.

He wrote to Kejriwal conveying informing that he has requested both the departments to "ensure maximum participation" in the programme.