KOCHI: A quirky sight caught my attention while passing through the Kaloor-Kadavanthra stretch on a balmy evening last weekend: a bunch of youngsters gathering at a tea shop with colourful ‘mosquito bats’ in their hands. At first, I thought they were planning some fun mosquito hunt competition. Later, however, I learnt that this was a daily affair. It’s a nightmare to step out without the bat, they said.
Well, It’s not just the bat. These days, it is not uncommon to see people holding mosquito-repellent incense sticks in their hands as they gather in public places. And hapless security guards, who work through the night, place mosquito coils under their chairs and cover their legs using plastic sacks.
Despite big promises from the authorities, mosquito menace continues to be a perennial ‘itch’. “It’s difficult to spend even a minute outside because of the mosquitoes,” says Gayathri A, a consultant psychologist, who stays in Kadavanthra.
“There is no other way but to step out fully covered up with a full-sleeve T-shirt, jeans, and, of course, shoes.” Not just outdoors, the story is the same at houses and even flats on top floors, says Girija Iyer, a resident near Vyttila. “We are forced to shut doors and windows in the evening, and light mosquito-repellent incense and lock up the doors and windows after dusk,” she adds.
Even as the bloodsuckers are tormenting Kochiites, the civic body has nothing new to say, except that the mosquito eradication drive is ongoing in all 74 divisions. Notably, last year, there were reports on the corporation’s plans to tie up with the Chennai-based Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC) to curb the mosquito menace. When asked about the plan, a VCRC official says: “We had submitted a review report, but have not received any response from the Kochi Corporation.” A senior corporation official evades questions on VCRC. The plan did not progress due to “some internal reasons”, he says.
Fogging, spraying
“The public needs to understand that fogging and spraying are carried out in corporation limits in a mass way,” says a corporation health inspector. “Till January 31, 2023, we had over 200 daily labourers engaged in spraying larvicide and fogging.” Health standing committee chairman T K Ashraf maintains the corporation has been conducting the drive without fail every day. However, a resident near the KSRTC bus stand, Savitha, says: “It is difficult to stay outdoors and indoors throughout the day. Corporation workers do fogging once a week.”
A senior official concedes that the current drive has been. He adds that there are plans to initiate a joint programme involving nearby municipalities and panchayats as well so as to make the mosquito eradication drive more effective. But this would happen only next year. “As of now, the corporation will go ahead with the existing method of fogging and spraying,” says the officials.
“However, for the next year, discussions are on for a joint drive. The success rate of the current efforts is just 20-25 per cent. Once all the local-self governments carry out the fogging and spraying simultaneously, it will go up to 90 per cent.”
Thrikkakara municipality chairperson Ajith Thankappan says, currently, spraying and fogging are carried out “based on the request from the councillors”. Maradu Municipality Chairman Antony Ashanparambil, meanwhile, says, “We have been actively carrying out mosquito eradication drives within our limits.”
Fund allocation
The corporation had earmarked Rs 12 crore for mosquito eradication in its budget for 2022-23. According to officials, the corporation has been spending about Rs 1 crore a month to carry out the mosquito eradication drives in all 21 circles under its limit.
The expenses include the salary of daily wagers, fuel for spraying and fogging, and the purchase of larvicide. Each division is allocated Rs 10,000 to cover the expense of fuel for fogging. In the initial stage, Rs 5,000 is disbursed to every councillor, and the remaining is released based on the requirement.
Manpower shortage
A recent government order directed the corporation to dismiss the workers hired under the HEAL (health, education, agriculture, livelihood) project, and recruit new ones through the Employment Exchange. “As per the government order, 400 workers hired by the corporation were dismissed on January 31, 2023,” says a corporation official.
“We were carrying out the mosquito eradication drive with these workers. Though we deployed permanent workers, the drive was affected. We will, however, be able to manage with a smaller workforce as the peak season will end this month. Until the next rainy season, only fogging will be required to control the menace.”
With inputs from Santhra Nimesh & Govind Menon