Residents of Salt Lake close ranks to fight dengue

KOLKATA: A 7-millimetre long creature has done the unthinkable in Salt Lake; take the interaction among its resident several notch higher from the occasional nod of the head while parking the car or a cursory hello at the local market.
It has also triggered some black humour in the township with many calling it the new Pokemon, the augmented reality game that has taken the world by storm.
A dengue outbreak in the township is a matter of concern --- two people within the township have died --- it sure has brought some benefits in terms of increased interaction among its residents against their common enemy: Aedes aegypti mosquito, the carrier of the dreaded contagion.
The residents of the township, more famous for keeping a stiff upper lip than a social streak, have suddenly spotted a virtue in the “know thy neighbour” dictum. So now, Krishna Sengupta visits the local park every morning with nine other neighbours to ensure there is no stagnant water for dengue larvae to breed.
Rakhi Tandon who would spend most of her time at her club in south Kolkata has been accompanying her neighbours to inspect the vacant plots in the vicinity where water tends to stagnate. For the past one week, retired banker Debabrata Roy who would rather take his dog for a walk goes around in the neighbourhood enquiring if anybody was suffering from fever. The fear and stress the outbreak of dengue has triggered has led to greater cooperative, social, and warm behaviour among the residents of Salt Lake, some of which may be forced given the “extraordinary” times for the township.
“Yes, the outbreak of dengue has triggered a social interaction with our neighbours which goes beyond the occasional smile and nodding of heads which has been the normal practice for years now,” said Krishanu Roy, a retired Indian Oil employee in the AB block, in his honest submission.
In several blocks, residents have split themselves in small groups who carry inspections of vacant plots and parks every day. “Two separate groups of residents visit the parks and vacant plots in the neighbourhood daily to check if there is any water accumulation. One group of residents co-ordinates with the civic officials for mosquito repellent to be sprayed and bleaching powder to be used,” said Vandana Ahuja, a homemaker in Salt Lake’s CD block.
Salt Lake, that took shape in the second half of the previous century, has a population of around 2.5 lakhs.
“The township segregated in to sectors and blocks with stand alone houses was designed in such a manner so that neighbours would interact in a manner, for example, they do in north Kolkata,” said Baisakhi Sengupta, wife a of a former bureaucrat who moved into the township in the early 1980s.
The residents of the township are also learning their dengue lessons every step of the way. Literally. Every morning, a walk to the community market brings forth a tidal wave of fellow-feeling, neighbourly concern and health advice for Reena Dafadar, a home maker in EE block. “Drink five litres of water,” says an elderly neighbour on her way to buy some mosquito repellent cream. “Pnepe patar rosh (papaya leaves) takes care of your platelet count,” is another nugget of advice that leaves her wiser.
Psychologists feel that such behaviour when a community comes together to fight a common enemy or a threat displays their survival instinct.
“This positive and social response to dengue by residents of Salt Lake explains the human connection that happens during times of crises. This connection, to a large extent, is also responsible for our collective survival as a species,” said psychologist Sarbani Deb Roy.
There are still those who still cannot bring themselves to become excessively chummy with the next door poltu da or the nosy Nisha aunty. For them, there are WhatsApp groups.
Residents of several blocks have formed WhatsApp groups to disseminate dengue updates. Parents of children studying in schools in Salt Lake have formed groups with representatives of the schools. “It is a platform to voice our concerns over our children safety. The school authorities keep us updated about the measures they are undertaking for our children’s safety,” said a parent of a student in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.