MUMBAI: For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak not a single positive case was reported from Mumbai's Dharavi area on Christmas day, (25 December) which was otherwise a hotbed in the early months of April & May reporting dozens of cases every day, one of the highest in the country.

Although the caseload of the area stands at 3,788, the number of active cases of COVID is down to only 12, and four of them are currently admitted in a Covid care centre the rest are in home quarantine.

As on date, there were 59,214 active cases in the state of Maharashtra and in Mumbai the numbers were at 8,355, the total cases reported so far in the city have been 2,90,914 out of which 2,70,628 patients recovered, while 11,076 died due to the virus infection, 855 people died due to other than medical reasons.

Dharavi's zero figure achievement was twitted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on its handle yesterday as - A ‘zero’ that will be remembered as the best score ever!

The accomplishment of control in Dharavi which is called as the largest slum area in Asia is quite commendable since it is one of the most difficult areas in terms of density of population.

It is estimated that nearly 10,00,000 live in an area of little more than 2.1 square kilometres making it one of the densely populated area which can quickly turn into disaster if a pandemic like COVID strikes. The houses in sums with narrow lanes and by lanes are very tiny houses without much ventilation have nearly a dozen people mostly migrants living in them.

Health officers of the G-north ward which covers Dharavi said that the control of the pandemic in Dharavi was possible due to community participation and administrative support.

"We have done a lot of work, from door to door surveys, sanitation, spraying disinfectant regularly in tightly occupied streets. There was a time when the numbers of cases in Dharavi were doubling every week, but now it is totally reversed," the official added.