BackCovid-19: First area in Dharavi freed of containment, more will follow suit
Other containment zones such as Vaibhav Apartment and Social Nagar will also be de-contained as no new cases have emerged in these areas for over 21 daysEven as certain containment zones have been declared safe, the number of infected people doubled every six days in Dharavi, reaching 783 positive cases and 21 deaths, as of Wednesday
PremiumMUMBAI : Dr Baliga Nagar, the first covid-19 containment zone created in Mumbai’s Dharavi on 1 April, has become free of the tag, with no new cases detected since 7 April.
Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) G/North ward, where Dharavi is located, said other containment zones such as Vaibhav Apartment and Social Nagar will also be de-contained, as no new cases have emerged from these areas for over 21 days.
“The number of positive cases have also reduced sharply in Kalyanwadi, Madina Nagar and Muslim Nagar, which are at present demarcated as covid-19 hotspots. We will soon de-contain these areas as well," he added.
Even as certain containment zones have been declared safe, the number of infected persons doubled every six days in Dharavi, reaching 783 positive cases and 21 deaths, as of Thursday. The highest single-day surge in new cases was recorded at 145 positive cases on 30 April, followed by 94 cases on 2 May. So far, 196 patients have recovered in Dharavi.
The spread of the highly contagious virus in Asia's largest slum is alarming, as it is home to nearly 8.5 lakh people who live in cramped spaces in an area spread across 2.5 square kilometres. Compared to Mumbai’s population density of 20,634 people per square kilometre (sq. km.)—one of the highest in the world, Dharavi has 2.27 lakh people per sq. km., making it a potential hotspot for the spread of coronavirus.
As of 7 May, the total containment zones in Dharavi rose to 202 from just 49 such zones on 25 April, data from BMC showed.
“The rise in the number of containment zones is in line with BMC’s three-pronged strategy, which includes identification of maximum possible containment zones, comprehensive testing and uninterrupted supply of goods and essentials. We have been screening as many people as possible for covid-19 symptoms through nine dispensaries, multiple fever camps and 350 private clinics in Dharavi, and are proactively isolating all the places with active cases and sealing them," said Dighavkar.
Among these clusters, the hotspots or high-risk zones in Dharavi have increased to 10 till date, from just five on 25 April. The 10 hotspot zones in Dharavi are Mahim Sion Link road, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Mukund Nagar, Marlyamma temple, Muslim Nagar, Transit Camp, Kumbharwada, Matunga Labour Camp, Chota Sion Hospital and Dharavi Cross Road.
“While positive cases in the earlier demarcated high-risk zones are declining, five more such hotspots have been identified and are under observation," said Dighavkar. The most cases in Dharavi were recorded at the Matunga Labour Camp that had 55 patients, followed by Mukund Nagar, Kumbharwada and Dharavi Cross Road with 49, 45 and 38 cases, respectively.
Within the high-risk zones, 47,500 people have been screened, 600 tested and 2,000 suspected cases put into institutional quarantine, and 1.25 lakh people are contained in their homes. “We are home-delivering all essentials, including food, groceries and medicines, in the high-risk zones to restrict movement of anyone outside or within the area," said Dighavkar.
Of Dharavi’s total population, nearly 4 lakh people have been screened for covid-19 -like symptoms till date, of which nearly one lakh were screened at fever clinics. So far, 2,400 people have been tested in Dharavi, while nearly 2,500 suspected covid-19 cases are put under institutional quarantine and 3,950 people have been quarantined at home.
“We are testing all the symptomatic covid-19 suspects at the quarantine centres and most of the positive cases are now coming from there," said Dighavkar. “While it is too early to say when Dharavi will hit a peak, we have isolated as many suspects as possible and by 15 May we should start seeing a decline in cases in Dharavi," he added.
The BMC has a capacity of 3,000 beds at its quarantine facilities, which include Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Dharavi Municipal School, Manohar Joshi Vidyalay, Mahim Nature Park, Ruparel College Hostel, Scout & Guide Hall, D’silva High School and various hotels and lodges in Mahim, Dadar, and Dharavi.
“We have equipped our quarantine facilities with oxygen cylinders and steamers and converted them to semi-hospitals, where we are treating all those showing covid-19 symptoms. We have doctors, nurses and ward boys on duty at these centres, and are providing food, multi-vitamins and medicines to the people admitted there," said Dighavkar.
Further, there are five covid-19 dedicated hospitals, Sai Hospital, Ayush Hospital, Life Case Hospital, Family Care Hospital and Prabhat Nursing Home, for residents of Dharavi.
As of 7 May, there were 17,914 cases and 694 deaths in Maharashtra, according to the state public health department, making it the worst affected state in the country. Of these, 13,717 covid-19 patients and 472 deaths were reported in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) and adjoining areas such as Thane, Palghar and Panvel, the highest in the state so far. Within the MMC region, Dharavi alone accounts for about 7% of the total number of infected persons.
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