Kejriwal govt's anti-dengue campaign gets thumbs up from everyone

New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal government-led campaign to combat dengue has garnered support from several public personalities, including cricket legend Kapil Dev, many Bollywood actors and well-known journalists.

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At a press conference here on Sunday, the Delhi chief minister thanked all those who took part in the campaign, and said, "Lt Governor Anil Baijal today also checked for any water stagnation at his residence".

"Our campaign against dengue is getting a lot of support, and many celebrities are also participating in it. I am very happy that many people are taking part in it besides celebrities and journalists," Kejriwal told reporters.

He said participation of these public personalities will inspire common people to take precautions in combating this vector-borne disease.

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On September 1, Kejriwal had launched the campaign '#10Hafte10Baje10Minute' by inspecting his house for clean standing water.

Dengue mosquito larvae breed in clean and stagnant water, and they thrive in this season.

Baijal also shared pictures on Twitter after the inspection, and tweeted: "Carried out inspection at residence to check for any potential sources of stagnant clean water, which can lead to breeding of Aedes mosquitoes that causes vector-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, etc. Such checks to be done at frequent intervals".

In a fresh video message, the chief minister appealed to Delhi residents to give 10 minutes every Sunday-- between September 1 and November 15-- to ensure that there is no stagnant water in their houses or surroundings.

The chief minister in the morning had also tagged a few celebrities to join the campaign.

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"I challenge @therealkapildev ji, @ShatruganSinha ji, @sardesairajdeep ji and @taapsee ji to participate in the #10Hafte10Baje10Minute campaign and inspect their homes. I urge all of you to challenge people you care about. Just 10 minutes can protect us from danger!," he tweeted.

Kapil Dev responded with a tweet in support of the drive, saying, "A good initiative taken by the honourable CM of Delhi... I request the Delhi residents to take all necessary precautions... suggested!!"

Bollywood actors Emran Hashmi, Taapsee Pannu, Swara Bhaskar and filmmaker Mahesh Bhat, and several senior journalists, including Rajdeep Sardesai, Nidhi Razdan, Faye D'Souza, have supported the campaign.

"More power to @Arvindkejriwal for making Delhi, Dengue - Free ! We all can do our bit by checking our homes every Sunday and ensure there's no stagnant water stored anywhere. If there is - simply spill it out, pour oil in it, or replace it.#10Hafte10Baje10Minute," Hashmi tweeted.

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Kejriwal also retweeted several tweets posted by celebrities and journalists and thanked them.

"As a dengue survivor, happy to join the anti dengue campaign in the capital. Let's spread the word: health and education above politics! @BishanBedi @sagarikaghose @Nidhi @bhupendrachaube @DILIPtheCHERIAN .. pl spread the word," Sardesai tweeted and shared a small video.

"The battle against Dengue in #Delhi is one we should all support and the citizens are winning this battle. It's a great example for other cities as well. Mumbai and Bangalore to also start this campaign. #10Hafte10Baje10Minute Check there is no stagnant water in your homes," wrote D'Souza on Twitter.

Kejriwal on Sunday also inspected his home and office for checking breeding of mosquitoes and shard pictures.

"In five years, the number of cases reported have come down by 80 per cent. We have tried to reduce it even further. This year, there is no spike, fortunately and it us because all people have come together, from Delhi government to Centre and MCD," he said.

Kejriwal had earlier said the city had reported 60 deaths and more than 15,000 cases of dengue in 2015 but in 2018, the number came down to 2,798 and only four deaths were reported.

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal also tweeted on Sunday: "I support the #10Hafte10Baje10Minute campaign against dengue by @ArvindKejriwal ji. I have checked my house for any stagnant water. I request all @DelhiPolice SHOs to participate in the campaign and check all police stations of Delhi".