The Times of India 30.08.2012
Civic work creates mosquito dens
KOLKATA: If dengue is threatening to turn into an epidemic, blame among other factors the Kolkata Municipal Corporation's (KMC) beautification drive. Rampant digging of the pavements or roads to build the median verges has turned some areas into perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito that causes dengue breeds in clear, stagnant water, conceded a KMC health department official on Wednesday.
Take New Alipore for instance. The KMC started pavement beautification
work here a couple of months ago, after the arrival of the monsoon. The
work is going on in full swing now amid sporadic rains, with obvious
results. Several breeding grounds have been created between the New
Alipore petrol pump and Taratala.
Anoop Mitra, a local
resident, alleged that despite taking up the matter with the local civic
administration, the KMC top brass did not bother either to stop the
beautification work for the moment or to take adequate measures for
killing the larvae.
"Dengue, malaria and other vector-borne
diseases are bound to break out as the civic body's endeavour to
beautify the pavement along New Alipore Road has created several
breeding grounds," Mitra said.
Similar breeding grounds have
been created along the median verge of Sarat Bose Road and on Rashbehari
Avenue along which beautification work is under way. Chittaranjan
Avenue is no exception. Here, the beautification work that started a
month ago has created several breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
"There is no denying the fact that these breeding grounds that were
created because of digging of roads have invited dengue in a major way.
The KMC authorities need to keep a tab on these breeding grounds to
avert further spreading of the dreaded disease," said Sarmila Bose, a
private practitioner and a resident of College Street.
Atin
Ghosh, the member, mayor-in-council, conceded that indiscriminate
digging of roads or rampant construction were responsible for a sharp
rise in the number of dengue cases. "We have decided to take up the
matter with officials of other civic departments," Ghosh said.
