PANJIM: With 204 COVID-19 positive cases detected in Mangor Hill, the State’s other densely-populated residential areas have come into focus with apprehensions these could be fertile ground for outbreaks. Asia’s largest slum – Dharavi in Mumbai – has seen the infection spread fast, claiming hundreds of lives so far, and that is where the worry stems from.
Mangor Hill saw its first case on June 1. It was a fisherman who transmitted it to his family, including a police constable and nearly 204 picked the contagion as on June 9. With this, human health in the containment zone is a major question mark. Moreover, over 60 cases outside the containment area are linked to Mangor Hill.
The biggest challenge is to ensure that the pandemic does not spread to other slum areas. One such slum in the State, Indranagar in Chimbel faces a tough situation. Home to nearly 7,500 residents, including many illegal, sanitisation of only the exterior road was carried out once.
The village panchayat claims that precautions are undertaken to ensure no Mangor Hill-like situation erupts but activists claim otherwise.
“We have carried out sanitisation of the main road and are keeping a watch if any outsider enters Indranagar. Any new person seen here is quickly questioned and on verification he/she is allowed movement,” sarpanch Chandrakant Kunkalienkar told Herald.
In the last couple of days, speculation of a COVID-19 suspect floated but it turned out to be fake, a source said. The fear came true on Thursday when three persons in Chimbel, including a 6-year-old, tested positive. To add to the fears, a tavern owner at Panjim market was found positive for COVID-19, creating panic considering that nearly 60 per cent of the market vendors are from Chimbel, including from Indranagar.
Activist Govind Shirodkar, however, claims that the slum is sitting on a ticking time bomb. A majority of non-Goan dwellers have occupied the place, while many are illegally living in unhygienic conditions. “The government has no control. Rooms built under the 20-point programme are either illegally sold or leased out by the original owners. We have approached the Collector (North) and demanded in gram sabha meetings to conduct a survey of residents but in vain,” he said.
Shirodkar, a government employee and advisor to Chimbel Manch, also cited a potential risk to the residents as several slum dwellers carry out business without following hygiene and safety norms. He recalled that while Panjim market was shut for about two months, the fish and vegetable vendors from Indranagar sneaked out of the slum to sell these essentials.
“They would walk in the lanes within the slum and even moved out selling fish and vegetables house-to-house without following health safety standards. All these are not Goans by origin,” he said, alleging that only five or six families are Goans. Some among these are vendors in the Panjiim market, now shut till June 15.
Another congested slum in Mapusa – Karaswada – too has nearly 600 to 700 migrants among around 2,500 residents. Mapusa Municipal Council has, however, allayed apprehensions about sanitisation and hygiene. All suspects are monitored through police and health authorities, Chairperson Ryan Braganza said.
“One suspect (in Mapusa) was home quarantined and we kept a track of his/her movements during the home quarantine period. If any suspect turns positive, the health authorities inform us. So there is nothing to fear as of now,” Braganza said, explaining that MMC has made separate arrangements for garbage collection and other services of those who undergo tests and wait for the report. “Most of them have turned negative,” he added, speaking of the scenario in Mapusa.
The slum, he said, has been sanitised during the initial lockdown period and awareness on safety and hygiene have been imparted to the residents.
A similar activity has been carried out in Taleigao – Camrabhat and Peterbhat. For a change, these two areas, as per Taleigao Sarpanch Agnelo Da Cunha, have no migrants. With a population of around 2,200, a majority are workers in the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP). “We have carried out work of cleaning of drainages. The workers who were unemployed during the lockdown were given jobs for cleanliness and sanitisation of the area,” Da Cunha said. The creek from Nagali Hills to Campal is in the process of being desilted.
Incidentally, one COVID-19 positive case in Taleigao led to swab testing of around 90 villagers on Wednesday. Fortunately, all 90 tests reported negative.