Dog Menace of India

 

They say a dog is man's best friend but an unregulated, untrained population of dogs can also become public enemy number one causing misery to both the dog and human.

While street dogs have always been part of human civilization, with increasing urbanization and increased population these dogs create many problems for humans, the first being their open defecation on streets, secondly danger to humans especially children. There have been reports of mauling to death. Third is noise pollution by their persistent barking. This barking disrupts sleep and health of all, sometimes fatally in case of elderly persons. It destroys peace during day hours and hugely compromises study hours of children studying for school or exams at times leading to their failing in examinations.

Along with stray dogs the problem of pet dogs has become equally huge; they too contribute to open defecation on urban streets creating a stench and health hazard.

Their barking disturbs neighbors even more than that of stray dogs. During silent night hours, this barking spreads far and wide. This problem of dogs has become huge in India from pristine place like Nainital in the Himalayas to coastal cities across the land. It is heartening that one of the state governments of India that of Punjab led by the hugely popular Captain Amarinder Singh has begun turning its attentions towards this problem. A focus is now required by the government of India on this issue.

It is not necessary for India to reinvent the wheel for this problem because many other countries around the world have applied their mind to it already and solved the problem. India just needs to study their methods and develop its own regulation. While the dynamic government of PM Shri Narendra Modi is doling much to solve the problem of open defecation by humans in India, his Swachchta Abhiyan would never be complete without including this issue too. This note concludes with an easy road map towards this.

One Possible Road Map

1. Form a small commission consisting of a veterinary doctor, lawyer, urban planner and social worker
2. Simultaneously offer research consultancy grants for short six month review study to six volunteering Professors of six leading universities to review practices for controlling dog menace in other successful countries of the world, summarize and submit in a brief report to the commission within six months
3. The commission after inviting these six professors to a five day workshop should draw up the first draft of guidelines best for India.
4. Over the next three months the commission may invite public suggestions on the draft and finalize guidelines
5. Over the next three months i.e. by end of year the central government to draft and institute a new law for the purpose and send copies to states to emulate if necessary at state level within six months.
6. The next six months may be used to set up implementation procedures and authorities

Thus in a period of two years the dog menace would begun to be dealt with and then India too can then aspire to become a clean and peaceful country. Without this it would be impossible to do so.

Update, March 24, 2018 Impact of this Note:

Perhaps this note has had an impact. For the first time the South Delhi Corporation has introduced penalties for dog owners who spread dog poop on streets as well as pet registration as reported in the daily Newspaper,Times of India Today. It is hoped that other cities follow the example soon and the matter is deliberated at national level too as suggested in the original note. The Swacchata Abhiyan launched by P M Narendra Modi would never be complete without it.

The report pointed out that a gram of dog feces contains 20 million ecoli. When it rains it may easily enter water supply lines in residential areas. Unlike in the developed countries India has an interrupted water supply and when the supply is shut down the line pressure is low enough for leakage into the pipe at its joints. This poses a serious disease threat. The report also pointed out that roundworm eggs remain in soil long after the poo disappears that too poses grave risks, most to children. It is one of the causes of India having the highest infant mortality rate in world.

Aside from risk from feces of dogs their barking too poses health risks as described at the outset in a note on Noise pollution inwikipedia. While for elderly this can cause cardiac problems, for children it can lead to psychological and learning disabilities some that may persist for life. This author is a witness of this in his own neighborhood where the wife of a retired colonel disturbed by loud noise in the neighborhood suffered a stroke and has now been partially paralyzed for more than a year.