CUTTACK: Already reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic, residents of the Millennium city are now battling yet another problem - mosquitoes.Residents have alleged that the problem has turned acute due to negligence of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) authorities. The drains across the city are filled with garbage while fogging is not being done properly as a result of which mosquito population is growing sharply in the city. The issue has reached the unbearable level in the last few weeks.
At a time when the State government has advised people to stay home in view of the pandemic, residents of the city are unable to sit inside their houses due to mosquito menace. At present, the mosquito density index stands at more than 60 against 45 to 50 last month. The density of mosquitoes is calculated by the average number of mosquito bites on 10 persons per hour. While a density of 30 is said to be normal and 40 to be moderate, the density level beyond 40 is said to be high.
Lack of timely preventive measures like carrying out fogging, bush cutting and use of anti-larva oil in drains by the civic body has led to rise in mosquito density index. CMC sources, however, said while there is a requirement of 1,08,000 litres of mosquito larvicidal (ML) oil for all the 59 wards, the government is providing only 20,000 litres. Similarly, against the annual requirement of 4,320 litres of Temiphos oil, a larvicide used to treat water infested with disease-carrying insects including mosquitoes, the government is providing only 2,320 litres.
The CMC’s health and sanitation wing is too failing to timely utilise the scanty amount of these larvicides. Similarly, the CMC has 94 small and one vehicle mounted large TIFA machines. However, most of the small TIFA machines are lying defunct.
City Health Officer Satyabrata Mohapatra said the menace would be controlled within 15 days as CMC has intensified mosquito irradiation drive across the 59 wards by using 60 hand spray machines three days back.”