Special sanitation drive held to promote cleanliness, personal hygiene

Tirupati : As part of the government’s ‘Stop Diarrhoea’ campaign taken up from July 1 to August 31, a special sanitation drive was initiated in Tirupati rural mandal.

The drive, aimed at promoting environmental cleanliness and personal hygiene, saw participation from District Collector Dr Venkateswar and Chandragiri MLA Pulivarthi Nani. They emphasised the importance of staying vigilant during the rainy season to prevent diseases such as malaria, dengue and chikungunya.

The Collector highlighted that this initiative aligns with the Central government’s instructions for the two-month Stop Diarrhoea campaign. Maintaining environmental cleanliness, personal hygiene and observing Friday Dry Day can prevent diseases like diarrhoea, dengue, chickenpox and malaria. He called for widespread awareness across all panchayats in Chandragiri constituency.

Venkateswar noted an increase in diarrhoea cases in Tirupati district over the past three to four months and high dengue cases in urban areas due to prolonged water storage.

The authorities should intensify sanitation programmes, including frequent cleaning of drainage systems, which can significantly reduce diarrhoea cases. By participating in the Friday Dry Day campaign and removing water reserves from homes every Friday, the growth of dengue larvae can be curtailed.

MLA Pulivarthi Nani expressed optimism about achieving positive results through collaborative efforts between officials and public representatives. He appreciated the Collector’s participation in the special sanitation drive. As part of the Friday Dry Day campaign, they aim to make Mangalam Panchayat a model panchayat. He announced plans to establish a separate police station for the joint Mangalam panchayat and assured maintenance of peace, security, cleanliness and housing and drinking water facilities as promised during the elections.

Divisional development officer Suseela Devi, divisional panchayat officer Rupa Rani, DM&HO Dr U Sreehari, DIO Santha Kumari, other officials, public representatives and local residents were present.