Mumbai: Five wards in western suburbs account for city's 30% active corona cases

Even as the number of active COVID-19 cases has witnessed steep increase in the city since the second week of February, most active cases are from the Western suburban areas. Accordingly, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Vile Parle, in the western suburbs, as per the data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), top the list of active cases across the city.

More than 30 per cent of the total cases recorded across Mumbai are in the five wards of the western suburbs.

According to the data, the R Central ward (Borivali, parts of Charkop) ranks first with 947 active COVID-19 cases, the ward also has the highest number of cumulative cases (22,293). Meanwhile, K (west) ward (Andheri West, Juhu, Versova) accounts for 918 active cases, followed by R (South) ward (Kandivali) with 816 active cases, K (East) ward (Andheri East, Vileparle, Jogeshwari) with 799 active cases and P (North) ward (Malad East and part of Malad West) with 798 active cases.

Apart from these top five wards, the T ward (Mulund) and N ward ( Ghatkopar and Vikhroli West) have the highest number of active cases in eastern suburbs with 714 and 671 active cases respectively.

However, the chart of growth rate for the last seven days till March 13 narrates a slightly different story. According to the growth rate of the outbreak in the city, Mulund ranks first with a growth rate of 0.57 per cent. Followed by K (West) ward (0.56 per cent), H (West )ward (Bandra West and Khar) with 0.51 per cent, M West (Govandi, Chembur) with 0.49 per cent, F (North) ward (Matunga, Sion, Wadala) with 0. 46 per cent and (M East ( Deonar, Anushakti Nagar) with 0.45 per cent.

The overall growth rate of the city has jumped to 0.39 per cent this week.

Meanwhile, the same wards which have the highest growth rate of infection have witnessed a decline in doubling rates. The overall doubling rate of the city has declined to 176 days as of March 13 from 238 days on March 4.

"The number of cases is on a rise, we are looking at the factors that are leading to the rise at the ward level and have already started our containment strategies," said senior BMC official.