Second COVID-19 wave won't affect Dharavi as badly as first one: BMC

23 November,2020 07:39 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  Chetna Sadadekar

With less than 20 new daily cases for a month, civic officials credit awareness, caution and active community participation for success of the Dharavi model

A COVID-19 test camp at Dharavi's Mukund Nagar Dharavi earlier this month. Pic/Suresh Karkera


Even as COVID-19 cases rise in various parts of the city, Dharavi, once a hotspot, has been consistently recording less than 20 cases daily for the past month. Since November 1, the number of cases crossed 10 only once, on November 2, when 11 cases were recorded.

The local administration of the area has also claimed that the area will not suffer during a second wave as much as it did during the first one as they are better prepared now.

As part of its preparations for the second wave, the G North ward has been reaching out to community leaders and NGOs in the area to ensure that proper sanitisation and health care is in place. The Dharavi model had been a success as cases were controlled owing to awareness and caution among people and active community participation, civic officials said.

With a good network for contact tracing and sanitisation in place, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar said they are prepared for the second wave.

He said, "We could reach the maximum number of people in the first phase and timely isolation helped along with large-scale screening, testing and fever camps. When earlier the numbers came down, it was said that it is because of migrants having left. But now migrant workers have returned and numbers continue to be in control. We have testing centres at all our seven health posts."

Also Read: COVID-19: Cases rise but Maharashtra fatalities drop to all-time low of 50

The ward has surveyed around 1,20,466 houses under the state's My Family My Responsibility initiative and 6 lakh people were surveyed in two phases. Dharavi has a population density of about 3.54 lakh per square kilometre. It has so far recorded total 3,646 cases and six new cases were reported on Sunday.

06
No. of cases reported in Dharavi on Sunday

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