The Hindu                    11.03.2013

Civic body to sterilise more dogs in added areas of city

growing menaceAccording to estimates, the city has about 1.5 lakh stray dogs in the newly-expanded areas—Photo: S.R. Raghunathan.

Every day instances of stray dog menace have pushed the Chennai Corporation to step up animal birth-control programme in all 15 zones.

According to estimates, the city has about 1.5 lakh stray dogs in the newly expanded areas, where proper animal birth-control measures have not been implemented yet.

“We have supplied additional dog-catching vehicles exclusively to the newly-expanded areas. We have asked the health department to catch more dogs under the birth-control programme so their numbers on the road do not multiply rapidly,” said an official.

K. Vasan, a resident of Ambattur, said stray dog menace was a major issue at night.

“When I return home after night duty, packs of dogs chase my two-wheeler. Going home has turned into an ordeal. It is scarier when one hears of dog-biting incidents like the recent one involving a four-year-old girl in Guduvanchery,” he said.

G. Murugan, a resident of Thoraipakkam, complained of dogs chasing him when he goes to ATMs in the night after work.

“They are more ferocious if a dog is nursing or if it’s mating season. And when they move in large packs, it is difficult to even walk on the road if you are alone. The Corporation must take steps to catch more dogs,” he said.

In 2012, the civic body performed sterilisation on about 19,000 dogs. The number stood at about 14,000 in 2011. “We follow up on complaints received on the Chennai Corporation helpline 1913. In February, around 40 calls were received,” an official said.

However, despite an abundance of funds and increasing number of vehicles for the programme, there is a paucity of dog catchers.

“Not many people are interested in the job. This, despite the fact that we have doubled the rate per dog caught to Rs. 50. We are prepared to hire people on a contract basis but it is a specialised job,” the official said.

The Hindu                      09.03.2013

Green way to tackle buzzing menace

Aloysius Xavier Lopez 

On Thursday, the Chennai Corporation considered yet another initiative in its long, frustrating and challenging battle against the tiny winged carriers of disease — mosquitoes — a plan is to go green with the distribution of herbs that repel them.

Ever year the Corporation spends more than Rs. 5 crore on mosquito control. And yet, despite efforts, the menace only seems to have increased.

Officials from various departments have now held discussions with civic body officials to identify species of herbs that keep mosquitoes away. Once these are identified, they will be procured by the Corporation, and all the residential properties of the 10.71 lakh buildings in the city will get these plants free of cost.

Not only are they expected to be effective in repelling mosquitoes, they will also serve as home decorations. Also, some of the species’ flowers or leaves could be used by residents to extract alkaloids and tackle the mosquito menace in their neighbourhoods, an official said.

This step, officials said, will only be one of the many measures the Corporation will take. Distribution of mosquito nets and fogging operations will continue.

The herbal plants are also expected to reduce the impact of environmental damage being caused by fogging. “The use of insecticides or larvicides have an impact on the health of residents and also affect the environment,” said B.M. Rex, entomologist, Spartan Enterprises, a pest control company. People with wheezing problems and asthma could suffer during intense fogging operations if the insecticide exceeds the permissible limit, he added. The use of chemical larvicide too could be hazardous for fish as well as the environment if used in waterways.