KARACHI, March 14: The fumigation drive launched by the city government a few days ago has failed to produce the desired results so far, that being eradication of the growing numbers of flies commonly known as aphids, besides mosquitoes and houseflies in different parts of the city.
This is the second drive launched by the city government within a month after the previous campaign too proved unsuccessful, a city government official told Online on Tuesday. The drive started on Tuesday and will continue till April 4.
Health officials fear that the existence of a large number of mosquitoes, houseflies and other insects could cause an outbreak of malaria in the metropolis.
A large number of aphids have invaded various parts of the city causing skin allergies among citizens particularly children.
According to health officials, aphid is a plant-eating insect, which is not harmful for humans but may cause skin allergies.
An entomologist, Maheen Ashraf, said the largest family of homoptera, aphids usually exist in the rural areas but live in the city parks as well.
The aphids are commonly called plant lice or greenfly. They pass through a more or less complex lifecycle on one or more plants. Alteration of host plants may also take place, she added.
She said that aphids were dangerous cotton pests found in Northern India and Pakistan, which attacked cotton plants in large numbers gradually killing them.
Life duration of the male aphid is 10 days while the female lives longer.
An official of the city government’s health department said the recent invasion of the city by the flies was not dangerous but could cause skin allergies.
In the first phase, he said the city government had launched a fumigation drive in Saddar Town, while the remaining towns would also be sprayed with insecticide as per schedule.
Sources said the city government had not conducted fumigation drive in parks for many years leading to the growth of aphids in the city. However, sources said that on the directives of the city nazim, the health department had chalked out a comprehensive plan to spray ‘Delta Methrine’, a chemical insecticide, in every union council and park.
The city government started the fumigation drive from today which will be continuing till April 4.—Online
