Following a spell of heavy rain that lashed the city both on Sunday and Monday, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner Dhyanachandra H.M. called for the formation of a monsoon response team to ensure that rainwater does not get accumulated on roads.

The announcement came after Mr. Dhyanachandra visited Benz Circle, Nirmala Convent Road, Postal Colony Road, Panta Kaluva Road, APIIC Colony, Ayush Hospital Road, Ramavarappadu Junction, Eluru Road, and Gunadala Centre on Tuesday as part of an inspection.

According to a release from the VMC, the Commissioner said that the team will comprise 80 sanitary and planning secretaries. He directed officials to assign dedicated teams to each identified stagnation point in the city and take necessary actions to prevent rainwater from pooling on roads.

If required, authorities were instructed to enhance the capacity of pumping units to ensure that in areas prone to heavy pooling, rainwater does not remain stagnant for more than 10 minutes. He emphasised the removal of all encroachments that obstruct the natural flow of rainwater. Additionally, officials were told to ensure that all rehabilitation centres identified across the city are equipped with at least basic facilities and are kept in good condition.

Earlier, Chief Medical Officer of Health K. Arjuna Rao told The Hindu that the anti-larval operations have also been intensified, especially following the emergence of a dengue case in the city last week.

“In addition to clearing stagnant water, we are taking up regular fogging in all wards between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.. Larval identification is also completed,” Dr. Arjuna Rao said, adding that since the breeding season is under way, the larvae source reduction activity has been taken up.

In the APIIC Colony, where a dengue case was reported, all measures were taken to remove any stagnant water and to prevent dengue or any mosquito-borne diseases, he said. Dr. Arjuna Rao added that the individual has recovered.

People in Ajith Singh Nagar, Vombay Colony, Payakapuram, which were inundated during the September 2024 floods, have complained of an increase in the mosquito menace after the floods. Following on this, Dr. Arjuna Rao said that the corporation has removed flood water accumulated in huge quantities in open areas and added that if the menace still persisted, they would intensify the frequency of fogging.

Additional Commissioner (Projects) D. Chandrashekhar, Zonal Commissioner K. Shammi, Chief Engineer R. Srinath Reddy, Chief City Planner Sanjay Ratnakumar and others were present during the inspection.