Mumbai : It has come to light that cases of leptospirosis discovered in areas around nullahs and cowsheds are due to the body fluids of cows and buffalos too, and not just rat and dog urine.
Shiv Sena corporator Pramila Shinde demanded that the BMC take strict action against all legal and illegal cowsheds that have come up along Dahisar River and other nullahs in Mumbai. She informed that buffaloes and cows from these sheds are causing the spread of leptospirosis in the area. After the urine samples of these animals were sent for a lab test, they were discovered to be infected with leptospirosis.
Ex-mayor Shubha Raul had earlier commented on the issue saying that she had discovered that it’s not just rat and dog urine but also body fluids of buffaloes in the Dahisar area that cause the deadly disease. She had then demanded that the state government take the initiative to get rid of the cowsheds, as the BMC had failed to do it due to local political pressure.
Raul had pointed out that most cowshed owners dump the animal waste into the river or nullahs. If the BMC fines them, they prefer to pay the minimal amount of Rs 2,000 instead of cleaning the area.
Shinde said that cowshed owners also cram over a 100 animals in an area meant to house about 30, thus adding to the pollution and stench. She wrote to Additional Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh asking him to personally look into the matter and take a decision about the required punitive action.
