KARACHI: Shortage of vehicles hindering campaign: Anti-mosquitoes drive
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 27: Despite the city government’s ongoing town-wise anti-mosquitoes campaign, mosquitoes have invaded most parts of the city, giving rise to cases of malaria.
Confirming that cases of malaria are on the increase, medical practitioners attributed the disease to the increasing number of mosquitoes and unhygienic environment prevailing in various parts of the city owing to the non-lifting of garbage on a regular basis.
Another cause of the increasing number of mosquitoes is said to be the presence of open storm-water drains in various parts of the city and which often remain littered. Similarly, a number of major nullahs which have been unlawfully covered, especially those passing through various streets of the old city area and where a number of markets have been constructed, creating difficulties for the malaria staff to carry out anti-larva campaign successfully.
Sources in the city government said that though the town-wise anti-mosquito campaign was currently under way, the menace of mosquitoes could not be wiped out until the campaign was carried out simultaneously in all the 18 towns of the city and the larva breeding grounds ie major nullahs and open storm-water drains were sprayed with Frenchion granule powder.
But since there is an acute shortage of fumigation vehicles, the city government’s fumigation department has no choice but to carry out the drive on a town-wise basis, they added.
Giving details of the ongoing anti-mosquito drive, the city government’s district officer (fumigation), Hammad Siddiqui, said that as there were only 11 fumigation vehicles available with the department, the concerned staff and fumigation vehicles were sent to a town, everyday for carrying out the drive ib question with liquid insecticides during Maghreb and Isha prayers.
He said that the anti-mosquito campaign had been launched on Nov 1 in collaboration with town municipal administrations and 15 towns had been covered so far.
Though the ongoing anti-mosquito campaign would conclude on Nov 29, the same exercise would be repeated shortly afterwards in each town as City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has pledged to help provide the required funds from the city government’s sources and a continuous supply of liquid insecticide from the city government’s procurement department, he added.
“Isn’t it surprising that on one hand, only Rs450,000 has been allocated for the eradication of mosquitoes and, on the other, there are only 11 fumigation vehicles available with the department,” Mr Siddiqui remarked, saying that it is an uphill task to successfully launch an anti-mosquito campaign in a city having 178 union councils with such a meagre amount and with less than a dozen vehicles.
“We have already taken up the issue with the city nazim and the latter has directed us to carry out the anti-mosquito campaign on a permanent basis, assuring us that he will arrange the required funds and also get the number of fumigation vehicles increased,” he added.
