Rainwater, slush at Vallah mandi an invitation to vector-borne diseases

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, July 11

Already battling with tardy lifting of garbage in the wholesale fruit and vegetable market at Vallah, shopkeepers, labourers and consumers visiting the mandi are scared of being bitten by mosquitoes, resulting in contracting of vector-borne diseases.

With rainy season at its peak and the fear of mosquito-borne diseases high, large areas of the mandi have turned into ponds of slush following the recent showers.

Paramjit Singh, a wholesale dealer, said in case the authorities did not remove water and kept the entire market dry, then it would prove to be conducive for mosquito breeding. He said people visiting the mandi invariably talked about the fear of being infected with a disease like dengue, malaria and chikungunya.

Baljit Singh, who had come to sell his produce in the mandi, said after the recent showers the promise of a clean and green market for selling fresh farm produce remained unmet.

Ajit Kumar, a customer, said the passage of a vehicle causes swarms of mosquitoes to buzz around. It instilled the fear of being bitten and getting infected with a host of diseases.

Officials of the Mandi Board said that the storm sewerage did not exist in the mandi and sludge sewerage was the only outlet to drain out waste water. Yet it is not able to work properly because people keep throwing refuse like polythene and empty sacks in it, they said.

Harpreet Singh Bhullar, Secretary, Mandi Board, said machines like suction pumps and JCB had been pressed into service to remove the water and slush for the past two days.