In view of the rising presence of plastic in the Vembanad Lake, the State government will initiate steps to clear the garbage deposited on the lake bed, Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman has said.
Inaugurating the district-level launch of the Arogya Jagratha programme, a project by the State government to check infectious diseases, the Minister said removal of plastic from the lake, its adjoining rivers and canals would be made part of the programme.
“The works to ensure access to clean drinking water should be seen as part of the plans to prevent infectious diseases. Preventive actions should be initiated after analysing the climatic and lifestyle factors that lead to spread of such infectious diseases,” the Minister said.
Awareness meetings
On the occasion, he called on health officials and the public to rise up to the challenges posed by the outbreak of these diseases. As part of it, awareness meetings will be organised in the Assembly, local body, ward and sub-centre levels.
Mons George, MLA, presided. District Medical Officer (DMO) Jacob Varghese will carry out a presentation. Jose Joseph, Principal of the Kottayam Government Medical College, and K.R. Rajan, Deputy District Medical Office, Kottayam, led the classes.
Health workers, including Kudumbashree and ASHA workers, students and field officers of the Health Department were present.
The project, launched in the wake of a dengue outbreak in the State in 2016, is being implemented in association with local bodies, government departments and voluntary organisations.
It envisages organising drives and awareness sessions at the grassroots to prevent mosquito-borne and water-borne diseases including leptospirosis, dengue and chikungunya.
