A district administration team, comprising Health and Environment Protection Department officials, on Monday detected dengue larvae in Anwar Nursery and the swimming pool of Minerva Club.
District Officer (Environment) Mian Muhammad Nawaz told The Express Tribune that anti-dengue teams had been visiting places serving as potential mosquito breeding sites. He said several nurseries, hotels, fitness clubs and tyre shops had been inspected.
He said notices had been issued to owners of several places for poor sanitation.
He said several ponds at Anwar Nursery were found to have adult dengue mosquitoes as well as larvae. The nursery was sealed and the owner, Sajjad Ahmad, was arrested.
The DO said officials had been told to spray the nursery with pesticides.
He said surveillance teams had also discovered dengue larvae at the swimming pool of Minerva Club. The pool also sealed and its employee Muhammad Asghar was arrested.
The DO said that FIRs had been registered against those arrested.
Separately, while addressing a weekly meeting at his office, DO Nawaz said that the Environment Protection Department teams had detected dengue larvae at 11 sites in the last week in the city.
He said the dengue menace was still prevalent in the city and that anti-dengue teams had been ordered to enhance the inspection.
He said EPD teams had visited 1,465 tyre shops; 1,473 junk yards; 149 nurseries and 94 union council buildings in the first week of September.
Of these, he said, 50 tyre shops and junkyards had been sealed.
He said cases had been registered against 89 people working at the 11 sites where the teams detected dengue larvae.
He said that the teams had also removed old tyres, scrap and stagnant water from 3,268 places in the city that could serve as potential breeding sites.
“Directions have been issued to the owners of 2,512 tyre shops, junk yards and nurseries to take precautions,” he said.
Precautionary measures
Fisheries Department officials in Sargodha released fish in several ponds across the city, a department spokesman said on Monday.
He said teams had visited several sites in the city over the weekend and released fish in ponds and tanks.
He said most of the fish had been released in ponds and tanks in Lorry Adda and Bhagtanwala areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2013.