Bijapur: Growing fear of epidemic outbreak

The 60 slums in the Bijapur city have already reported cases of H1N1 and dengue, and now the number of people suffering from fever, cold, cough, vomiting is steadily increasing.

While the chances of an epidemic outbreak are high, there are no health assistants in this city, which has a population of three lakh. There are no primary health centres or Anganwadis in Bijapiur city, which should ideally have had at least 150 health assistants going by its population.

There is a well-equipped district hospital, but with not enough doctors. While the actual requirement is for 33 doctors, there are only 15. Vacancies for two physicians have been unfilled for two years. Of the 15 doctors, three are constantly at the emergency, two others are reserved for child delivary. The remaining 10 doctors have to cater to at least 900 patients on a daily basis. With the unhygienic conditions left behind by the rain, the number is only expected to grow exponentially.

In addition, the CMC  has only two fogging machines to fight against the growing number of mosquitos and other insects.

The lobby of encroachers and revenue land grabbers have practically turned Bijapur city into one large slum. It seems like the CMC is only concerned with calling tenders and granting checks, while the state of the city’s infrastructure suffers in the hands of real estate lobbies. People are now facing the brunt of these long-standing irregularities and the lackadiscial attitude of the CMC.

The whole city has practically changed into a stink hole. Carcasses of animals are seen scattered and garbage has filled every inch of the roads. Snakes and other crawling creatures are swept up by the water.

The drainage system of the city had given away and everywhere the contents of drainage  were getting mixed with water. People were forced to wade through these waters supressing a building sense of nausea.

A city that had always been in the warm embrace of the sun with little rains, is now left with collapsed houses, hungry children and closed markets, and with no desire for rains.