Mosquito menace: Residents face a tough time as CMC sleeps over issue
CUTTACK: With lack of fogging and bush-cutting by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to control mosquito population in the city, the menace has assumed alarming proportions giving residents a tough time even within the confines of their homes.
Such is the situation that the mosquito density index in the city which was around 45 to 50 last month, currently stands at 64. Mosquito density index is calculated by the average number of mosquito bites on 10 people per hour. While density of 30 is considered normal and 40 moderate, the level beyond 40 is said to be high.
Despite the severely high mosquito density index, the civic body is yet to wake up from its slumber and intensify anti-mosquito operations.
Local residents alleged that preventive measures like bush-cutting, drain cleaning and anti-larval operations were not being properly carried out by the CMC.
“Bushes and creepers in our locality are yet to be cut while drains are lying clogged with garbage and filled with stagnant water making them ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. We have not seen any fogging activity for the last several months,” said Jashobant Barik of Jobra in ward no 41.
As per some city-based entomologists, the mosquito population reaches its peak during the breeding season just after monsoon, during October to December. “It is necessary that anti-mosquito operations be aggressively undertaken from September to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and proliferating. Had the CMC planned and initiated necessary steps in time, such a situation would not have occurred,” they added.
However, city health officer Dr Nrupendra Kumar Satapathy said anti-mosquito operations have already been intensified. “All 59 wards have been provided with hand-operated fogging machines. We are also planning for Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) to curb the mosquito menace,” he added.
