KANPUR: The rainy season is the time for spurt in the vector-borne diseases. Fogging is yet to be launched by Kanpur Municipal Corporation.

 

The claims of the civic body of launching fogging drives from the pre-monsoon season to its offset seem to be a mere eyewash. Residents of many localities said that they have not seen fogging machines in their area. The KMC workers allegedly conduct fogging in selected posh localities and VIP areas.

 

Very little has been done in the name of pre-monsoon preparedness this year.

"The fogging drives and assurances always remain confined to papers and rarely translated into action. The risk of vector-borne diseases remains there," said Sailesh, a resident of Kidwai Nagar.

 

Saurabh, a resident of Jajmau, said that the KMC officials need a loud alarm to awake from slumber. "Last year there were about a dozen cases of malaria and other vector-borne diseases in my area. Yet the civic authorities had failed to learn a lesson. Monsoon has started but not a single health official has checked the area," he lamented.

 

No pre-monsoon fogging was done in the low-lying areas like slums in Kacchi Madhaiya in Govind Nagar and in Machariya at Yashoda Nagar. There was no fogging in Shyam Nagar, Yashoda Nagar and Lal Bangla. All these area are the breeding ground for mosquitoes.

 

Additional chief medical officer (vector-borne diseases) said: "The changed weather conditions with mercury hovering between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius and high humidity (above 70%) are considered ideal for the growth of mosquitoes and the region is already witnessing that situation these days." Malaria, dengue and filaria usually spread in such conditions. The authorities should intensify fogging and anti-larval measures in the city.

 

KMC official Rajiv Shukla said that fogging could not be done as 'arsenate' (the fogging liquid) would not spread in the air. When his attention was drawn to the allegations that no pre-monsoon fogging has been done in various areas, he denied it and said that proper fogging drives were conducted before the arrival of monsoon.

 

According to healh department officials, fogging should be done in the long wet spells to curb the breeding of mosquitoes.