Telangana to kick off massive sanitation drive from today

With Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao keen on improving sanitation by clearing garbage, construction debris and weed, officials concerned will take up a massive sanitation drive across the State from Monday. The programme is aimed at taking precautionary measures against spread of seasonal diseases and also bringing about a visible impact in the overall appearance of both urban and rural areas, in the next eight days.

While an action plan has been already chalked out for majority of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for taking up various activities over the next one week, the rural local bodies have been instructed to conduct field visits followed by a meeting to finalise the Action Plan.

Elected representatives and officials concerned along with citizens of the localities will participate in the cleanliness drive. Citizens will be largely encouraged to take up cleanliness drive inside their homes and empty water stagnation points to prevent mosquito larval breeding, even as the sanitation staff of both municipalities and gram panchayats take up these activities on the streets.

Among different activities planned during the week-long drive, the municipal and panchayat authorities will take up removal of garbage and construction waste dumped on the road-side or even vacant lands, besides desiltation of drains, removal



of road-side bushes and shrubs. All pot holes on the roads will be filled to prevent accumulation of water which in turn result in mosquito breeding. Oil balls and disinfectant sprays will be used, to prevent mosquito breeding.

The elected representatives and officials will form teams in coordination with the locals, to identify low lying areas, slums, potholes and other places where water is likely to get accumulated during the monsoon season. Besides clearing the drains to avoid water logging in low-lying areas, potholes will be filled during the sanitation drive. Sanitation works will be taken up in public toilets, markets and other public places.

Further, water pipelines will be fixed to avoid pollution of drinking water. Anti- larvae measures will be taken in all overhead tanks, underground water storage points and all water storage vessels as well as water stagnation points. Oil balls and other disinfectants should be sprayed against larvae, besides taking up fogging operations in all areas.

In view of Covid-19 pandemic prevalent in the State, the officials have been instructed to take up spraying of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant at all crowded places, including bus stands, markets, schools, hospitals, parks, ration shops and also push cart stands.