To prevent vector borne diseases in the capital, the government will do extensive publicity campaigns, said Delhi health minister A K Walia here recently.

The government will take every possible step to maintain proper sanitation and restore proper flow in drains, he said. In cholera affected areas the water supply will be augmented.

Walia stated that dengue and chikungunya are the emerging waterborne diseases. Dengue cases were first diagnosed in Delhi in 1996.  Since then, the disease has been occurring in big numbers in a cycle of three to four years.  Maximum cases are reported in September and October.

To control vectorborne diseases, water supply should improved, overhead tanks and underground reservoirs should be covered. There should be proper water collection and proper solid waste management.  Chemical spray in households and entomological surveillance through larval and adult mosquito surveys should be done, said a release from the health department.

The meeting was attended by the director of health services and senior officers of the MCD, NDMC, Delhi cantonment board, DDA, irrigation and flood control and other concerned government departments.