The Hindu 20.08.2014
Shortage of workers hits mosquito-control work
With the monsoon comes the problem of water stagnation
and that leads to mosquitoes breeding in fresh stagnant water. This is
not uncommon in this time of the year as can be seen from the Coimbatore
Corporation’s special drive in pockets it considers dengue-prone.
The
Corporation has deputed its conservancy workers and engaged a few
contract workers to conduct the special drive, which involves
door-to-door destruction of mosquito breeding sources like emptying
water storage containers, destroying coconut shells and cleaning unused
tyres, use of chemicals that prevent mosquito breeding and education of
residents on how to control mosquito breeding.
In
educating the public the Corporation has also engaged Corporation and
State Government school students, who accompany the Corporation teams in
the special drive.
But sources in the health wing of
the Corporation say that it is only an ad hoc measure and that what
ought to be done regularly to control and eradicate mosquitoes is not
being done because of staff shortage.
Until recently,
the Corporation had field assistants and supervisors who exclusively
carried on the mosquito control work. But in their absence because of
retirement and replacements, the burden of the task fell on conservancy
workers, sanitary inspectors and supervisors, who began doing the job
after attending to solid waste management work, cleaning roads and then
drains.
The source reduction and other mosquito
control-related work fell on the conservancy workers, who are already
stretched, the sources say, adding that they are finding it difficult to
meet the targets given to the under the mosquito control micro plan.
The plan details the streets the workers have to cover on all the days of the week to do mosquito control work.
The sources admit that the workers are able to meet only 50 per cent of their target.
The
Corporation recently augmented the conservancy workers’ strength by
taking workers on contract. It also extended the contract period of
workers till hiring fresh contractors.