MADURAI: It is proving to be tough task for the Madurai City Corporation (MCC) that attempted to remove water hyacinths from Vaigai
river in one day after public activists ventured into the river to do
it by themselves due to mosquito menace. Various factors, mosquitoes
being one, are making it the job difficult for the civic body though the
officials confirmed that they will complete it in a fortnight.

MCC started weeding out water hyacinths from the river from last
Tuesday after people from the riverbed areas, particularly Ismailpuram,
led by Madurai South MLA R Annadurai tried to address the never-ending
mosquito menace. Water hyacinths in the river were found to be one
breeding ground within the city for the mosquitoes. Residents affected
by mosquito onslaught felt self-help is the best course of action as no
effective action was forthcoming from the civic body.

As public
began clearing the hyacinths clogging the Vaigai, the corporation
officials decided to be active in the war against mosquitoes. Initially,
civic officials felt the hyacinths could be cleared in a day’s time.
But the task may take more than 15 days, officials said.

The civic body has deployed one earth mover and a team of 10 to 20 sanitary workers for declogging the Vaigai.

Along with many problems like deploying men and machinery, the
determined mosquitoes are not ready to give away their favourite
grounds. The operator of earth mover has to ward off mosquitoes while
woking. “The swarming of mosquito is unbearable and we get allergic to
the stagnant water which is more of sewage,” commented a sanitary worker
who did not want to be quoted.

Official sources from the city
corporation said that the civic body took the task out of its own
interest though it the task belonged to the Public Works Department.
“Corporation took up the work after the mosquito menace became
intolerable near the riverbeds. But what looked like a one day work
keeps prolonging days together. The earth mover develops technical snags
due to swampy terrain in the river and works had to proceed at slower
pace due to mosquitoes,” a senior official from the corporation said.

MLA, R Annadurai said that the task was not easy as thought. “Even we
were not able to bear the mosquitoes when we tried to clean and
corporation officials said that the workers are to be given special type
of uniforms to protect themselves from the mosquito bites,” he said.

Corporation Commissioner R Nanthagopal said that the work was
challenging as they had to use both men and machinery in a systematic
manner. “We can’t use the machinery more in swampy terrain and manual
force had to be used for cleaning. The workers are given masks, gloves
and boots and they are asked to wear them, but they don’t adhere to our
instructions,” he said. “We will ensure that the works are completed by
all means and the water hyacinths will be completely removed from the
river in city areas,” he said.