The sudden spread of dengue mosquitoes and larvae off-season has triggered serious concern among the health department.
Experts warn that the recent downpours followed by intense heat have created ideal conditions for dengue outbreaks.
Due to a shortage of workers and entomologists, the anti-dengue campaign has taken a hit.
Under the 2025 dengue control plan, Rawalpindi has been divided into 4 zones, 8 sectors, and 30 clusters, each with designated in-charges.
The Dengue Prevention Act came into force on April 15 and will remain effective until October 15.
Under this law, legal actions will be taken against those found responsible for dengue breeding grounds.
Hospitals across the city have been instructed to set up dedicated dengue wards starting next month.
A meeting of the District Emergency Response Committee, chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Headquarters) Abdullah Khan, was held to review the situation. According to the briefing, as part of indoor surveillance, 1,989,272 houses were inspected, with dengue larvae found in 3,052 homes and 5,526 positive containers.
In outdoor surveillance, 415,533 locations were checked and larvae were found at 445 sites and 753 containers tested positive.
Between April 1 and now, at the town level, 326,163 houses were checked. 1,122 houses had larvae and 1,690 containers were positive.
In outdoor efforts over the same period, 98,535 locations were inspected, of which 201 tested positive and larvae were found in 284 containers.
So far in 2025, authorities have registered 149 FIRs, sealed 246 sites, issued 805 challans, and imposed fines totalling Rs407,000.
During Phase 6 of the sweep-up campaign from March 19 to April 15, 66,283 households were targeted.
About 345 indoor teams were deployed, achieving 38.9 per cent of the goal, inspecting 25,979 houses and detecting larvae in 112 homes.
In outdoor surveillance, 106 teams inspected 9,309 of the 18,651 targeted locations, identifying larvae at 19 sites.
Cleanliness drive
The communication teams of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC), carried out their cleanliness awareness campaign in the area of Union Councils (UCs) 14 and 15 and in and out of the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) the other day.
According to the RWMC spokesman, the teams asked the shopkeepers and residents of the area to play their part in educating the people about the importance of cleanliness.
The teams interacted with the patients and their attendants in the hospital and apprised them about the disposal of medical waste, including syringes, masks, gloves and other items.
The teams also distributed leaflets among the people to educate them about the proper disposal of garbage at waste containers placed in every union council of the city. Meanwhile, the RWMC continuously carried out the cleanliness of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on the occasion of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket matches, which started on April 11.
To keep the area neat and clean, the RWMC had deployed additional staff members, including sanitary workers and supervisors, in two shifts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
RWMC Chief Executive Officer Rana Sajid Safdar said that the areas inside and outside the stadium, including the Double Road and parking areas, were being cleaned daily while workers performed their duties during the matches till the end of the game.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ