Jamshedpur: Tata Steel’s utility arm, Tata Steel Utility and Infrastructure Services Ltd (TSUISL), has surveyed nearly 4.9 lakh households and eliminated 26,048 mosquito breeding sites across its command area in Jamshedpur as part of an intensified dengue prevention drive between April and Sept.Field teams inspected 4,89,601 houses during door-to-door survey and identified 14,193 indoor and 11,855 outdoor breeding sites. All the breeding sites were removed, the company said in a statement.Moreover, TSUISL reported 2,654 cases of mosquito breeding in areas outside their command to the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) for action and issued 2,115 notices to households and premises, where breeding sources were found.The effectiveness of the drive was reflected in a declining ‘house index’ (HI), which measures the percentage of houses infested with aedes mosquito larvae. The average HI during April-Aug was recorded at 2.7, much below the operational benchmark of 5, and declined further to 2.4 in Sept, the company said.Besides surveillance and source-reduction measures, TSUISL conducted 212 awareness programmes in communities and educational institutions and organised 104 street plays in schools to encourage community participation in dengue prevention. Its teams carried out over 4.4 lakh door-to-door interactions to spread awareness on eliminating stagnant water.As part of community outreach efforts, the company organised 92 ‘Information, Education and Communication’ (IEC) van-cum-container collection drives, combining awareness campaigns with the collection of discarded tyres, containers and other items that can become mosquito breeding grounds.Of the 21 confirmed dengue cases reported in East Singhbhum district during the period, nine were from the TSUISL command area.“We continue to strengthen dengue prevention efforts with the help of surveillance, awareness campaigns, and source-reduction activities across Jamshedpur,” the TSUISL said in a statement.
