Vendors battle hygiene woes amid rise in vector-borne diseases

Ranchi: With the state already reeling from a worrisome surge in cases of vector-borne diseases — 302 suspected cases of dengue and 240 suspected chikungunya cases — local markets in the city are grappling with issues of water stagnation and cleanliness, posing a threat to both vendors and public.At Atal Smriti Vendor Market on Kutcher Road, vendors have pointed out that the building allotted to them has significant construction faults, creating an environment conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes. Md Rehan, a vendor, said, “An increasing number of vendors are falling ill due to the mosquito menace affecting the area round the clock.”One of the biggest challenges they faced was the decline in customer footfall due to the fear of contracting diseases, the vendors claimed. Atif Hussain, another vendor said, “The safety and well-being of both vendors and shoppers are at stake as the dengue and chikungunya outbreaks continue to pose a serious public health risk with a large number of vendors having fallen unwell already.”Raju Kumar, also a vendor said, “The RMC hasn’t taken appropriate action to address the rising infection rate within the market. Around 30 to 40 shop owners here are down with dengue cases.”Md Sagir, another vendor, pointed out that the construction fault in the parking section has led to a blockage in the septic tank, causing frequent and heavy leakages. “Despite requests to the RMC, there is no improvement. The corporation needs to prioritize regular cleaning and maintaining the market to ensure the safety and well-being of all.”Nikhil Mehta, an RMC market vendor at Lalpur, said, “The civic body’s cleaning staff sweep only once or twice a week. Moreover, the vegetable vendors dispose of trash beneath the distillery bridge. In addition, the RMC sprayed pesticides 10 days ago, so we are maintaining the sanitation on our own to prevent dengue.”An RMC official said, “Efforts are underway to assess the extent of the construction issues and implement measures to rectify them swiftly.” The civic body official added, “The drains around the market are cleaned daily and fumigation is performed to eliminate larvae. As there is a construction fault in the overflow control and dispersal of sewage, we have a roster of 15 days for cleaning. The sweepers also sprayed bleaching powder daily.”