The nation…once again…is gripped by another sensation. This time, though, it is not a political rebuttal or an extremist insurgency that has people in frenzy. This time around, the reason for the tumult is none other than a mosquito. Yes, you read it right. Dengue, the ever-famous horror that has the entire nation in its clutches, is spreading like wildfire in Punjab and the numbers are only on the rise in other provinces.
The Punjab Government, under an extreme surge of what can only be deemed as humanism had announced to close down all educational institutions for ten or more days until the 26th of this month in order to fight dengue. Kudos to the CM of Punjab who made sure that all educational institutions be closed down; regardless of the fact whether they were following all the preventive measures to combat dengue. An order is an order, and it has to be rigorously followed especially when it comes from none other then the CM himself. And so, all institutions closed down for ten more days; and that too right after a week of summer vacations coming to an end.
In their hasty decision to close down all educational institutions, the government overlooked small details. They were quick to put a stop to the learning processes of the children but on their own part, are doing next to nothing to prevent the citizens from this menace. The monsoon with it brought tumultuous rain and rain puddles formed, and remained intact and accumulated, in different parts of the city; including the otherwise well-maintained areas of Cantt and DHA. The usage of low quality spray doesn’t kill the dengue; it only helps in eluding the danger.
What the government failed to understand was that closing down institutions won’t stop dengue from spreading because the prime hours of dengue are not the school timings. The dengue mosquito is most active at sunrise and sundown; if the government could have made institutions commence at 9 and end around 4; that would have prevented loss of valuable time on the part of the kids.
In all its hastiness, the government has overlooked simple and effective measures that it needed to undertake to ensure the safety of the citizens. But alas, we are entitled to a government who sees best in putting a stop to education but can’t minimize the dangers of the dengue epidemic, let alone put a stop to it. – Zainab Tariq
