The Hindu   16.08.2012

Mosquitoes continue to bite city

Aloysius Xavier Lopez

Mosquito menace has intensified in the city with a rise
in mosquito density in a number of localities. Recent reports of
malaria in areas such as Saligramam and abnormal increase in density of
mosquitoes in T. Nagar are indicators of problems in the days to come.

“There
is an increase in mosquitoes. Poor quality of stormwater drains
constructed a few months ago has facilitated water stagnation and
breeding of mosquitoes,” said V.S. Jayaraman, a resident of Motilal
Street in T. Nagar. “They have stopped fogging over the past few weeks.
Many residents have disturbed sleep,” said K.S. Sridhar, another
resident of T. Nagar.

Residents of many places in the
newly-added areas blame owners of vacant plots of land for the rise in
the number of mosquitoes. “Breeding of mosquitoes due to water
stagnation and garbage accumulation on vacant plots has increased due to
intermittent rain. We depend on mosquito nets,” said H. Sudhakar, a
resident of Madipakkam.

B. Kannan of Prabhu Nagar in
Thoraipakkam said local civic body officials had informed residents in
his neighbourhood that chemicals for fogging operations or spraying of
larvicide would be procured in ten days.

This year,
more than 65 wards in the city have reported dengue cases. Efforts of
Chennai Corporation to rope in councillors to improve participation of
residents in mosquito control have not succeeded. Most of the overhead
tanks remain open and the officials have not conducted inspection in
many areas to create awareness among residents.

Infectious
diseases such as dengue and malaria are prevalent in high-end
localities in Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Royapuram, Adyar and Anna Nagar,
according to private medical practitioners. However, most hospitals fail
to report such cases to the Chennai Corporation.

Months
after Corporation’s health officials advised councillors to urge people
to remove tyres, unused flower pots, buckets and coconut shells from
around their homes, such breeding grounds continue to exist in many
parts of the city. Rains over the past few days have worsened the
condition in many unoccupied plots of land in the city.

The
corporation is set to hire more private workers for malaria control, on
a temporary basis, in the added areas to cope with mosquito menace,
said an official of the civic body. Tenders for some areas have already
been finalised.

The Chennai Corporation is yet to
develop a full-fledged entomological laboratory to test the efficacy of
chemicals and prepare self-assessment reports of the existing mosquito
problem.