The Times of India 13.03.2013
Trichy stays awake as it fights mosquitoes
TRICHY: People in Trichy
don't have a good night these days as mosquito menace has become so
severe with the spread of unhygienic surroundings. Unabated breeding of
mosquitoes
continue in garbage heaps in residential areas in most areas of the
65-wards corporation. The trouble from mosquitoes have intensified after
the corporation reduced the intensity of the fogging operations as they
deemed dengue fever, which spread here a few months back, was reined in effectively.
When dengue cases were on the rise in the city, the corporation intensified its dengue-control measures, including pressing into action sanitary workers to ensure garbage-free residential areas. The civic body, in fact, doesn't have adequate number of sanitary workers to maintain cleanliness on a prolonged basis.
The corporation had reduced the frequency of fogging operations through vehicles and fogging machines in the past one month, leading to uncontrolled mosquito breeding in and around the city. S Hussain, a resident of Beema Nagar, said "I can't explain our problem. We can't have proper sleep in the night due to mosquitoes. Nowadays, there is no fogging operation in our area which is situated near the Uyyakondan canal, a major breeding point for mosquitoes, we are facing untold miseries."
Meanwhile, it is back to square one on the hygiene front as some streets in wards 21 and 22 remain unsuitable to live in due to unhygienic conditions. . P Anantha Krishnan, a resident of ward 22, is disappointed after his repeated pleas to ward councillor and the corporation administration to clean up the garbage fell on deaf ears. "The residents in our area lost our sleep for more than a month because of mosquito menace. Our children are vulnerable to diseases. Moreover, we have to bear the stink emanating from the garbage. Though we represented to corporation, garbage was not removed," Krishnan said.
The Trichy corporation recently decided to increase the number of sanitary workers. On February 27, it passed a resolution giving nod to recruit 421 sanitary workers on contract basis. Corporation commissioner V P Thandapani told ToI, "The tender for selecting private firm will be floated shortly. Then we would recruit more sanitary workers for our city."
The civic officials confront the insanitary conditions in the perspective of diseases only, forgetting that provision of clean public areas is also a necessity. They say that the mosquitoes would not cause dengue, but may cause diseases like malaria and typhoid. Commenting on the issue, commissioner Thandapani, said, "As we controlled the dengue, the fogging operation has come down. But it will be intensified after reviewing the present situation."
When dengue cases were on the rise in the city, the corporation intensified its dengue-control measures, including pressing into action sanitary workers to ensure garbage-free residential areas. The civic body, in fact, doesn't have adequate number of sanitary workers to maintain cleanliness on a prolonged basis.
The corporation had reduced the frequency of fogging operations through vehicles and fogging machines in the past one month, leading to uncontrolled mosquito breeding in and around the city. S Hussain, a resident of Beema Nagar, said "I can't explain our problem. We can't have proper sleep in the night due to mosquitoes. Nowadays, there is no fogging operation in our area which is situated near the Uyyakondan canal, a major breeding point for mosquitoes, we are facing untold miseries."
Meanwhile, it is back to square one on the hygiene front as some streets in wards 21 and 22 remain unsuitable to live in due to unhygienic conditions. . P Anantha Krishnan, a resident of ward 22, is disappointed after his repeated pleas to ward councillor and the corporation administration to clean up the garbage fell on deaf ears. "The residents in our area lost our sleep for more than a month because of mosquito menace. Our children are vulnerable to diseases. Moreover, we have to bear the stink emanating from the garbage. Though we represented to corporation, garbage was not removed," Krishnan said.
The Trichy corporation recently decided to increase the number of sanitary workers. On February 27, it passed a resolution giving nod to recruit 421 sanitary workers on contract basis. Corporation commissioner V P Thandapani told ToI, "The tender for selecting private firm will be floated shortly. Then we would recruit more sanitary workers for our city."
The civic officials confront the insanitary conditions in the perspective of diseases only, forgetting that provision of clean public areas is also a necessity. They say that the mosquitoes would not cause dengue, but may cause diseases like malaria and typhoid. Commenting on the issue, commissioner Thandapani, said, "As we controlled the dengue, the fogging operation has come down. But it will be intensified after reviewing the present situation."
