LAHORE, Aug 25: Though after a considerable delay, the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has at last marked city’s 150 public parks for ‘intensive fumigation and spray’ after the Punjab health department warned it that these places are turning into major breeding grounds of dengue fever causing mosquitoes, it is learnt.

The health authorities had issued instructions to the PHA to take extraordinary and immediate preventive measures, keeping in view that the dengue-causing mosquito attacked in the evening and morning when a large number of people usually visited parks.

A source said the health department suggested to the PHA extensive fogging of ‘Temephos’ in the lakes, ponds and such other places in the parks to stop the expected outbreak of dengue fever instead of other insecticides like delta-methrine which might adversely affect the health of mammals.

Earlier, the insecticides, delta-methrine, senithrine and permethrine were being used for fogging at parks, ponds, lakes, drains, stagnant water pools etc. without considering the fact that the use of such chemicals may harm mammals.

The source said the PHA was suggested a combination of at least 20ml Temephos and 10 litter diesel which might prove effective for killing mosquitoes in the lakes, ponds and such other places in the parks as compared to any other insecticide.

PHA Director General Abdul Jabbar Shaheen told Dawn some 150 parks and greenbelts, including major public places like Racecourse, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Minar-e-Pakistan and Jinnah Garden had been underlined for fumigation to combat dengue.

“Following new guidelines issued by city district government, the PHA has hired two fogging machines for fumigation in the parks,” he said.

He said the Temephos was being used in the lakes, water ponds and such other places in parks, besides other preventive steps like checking fresh water accumulation.

Mr Jabbar said all five PHA directors had been assigned duties to supervise the fumigation drive in the parks located in their respective jurisdictions.

A health department senior official, requesting not to be named, told Dawn that this year the mosquito, aedes aegypti, shifted its breeding grounds from the Walled City to posh localities like Model Town, Garden Town, Gulberg etc.

He said last year Baghbanpura, Garhi Shahu, Railways Station, Singhpura, Misri Shah, Mozang, Lorry Adda etc had been the hub of dengue fever spread.

The experts had warned people against setting their air conditioners’ between 15C to 28C as the temperature in this range was most conducive for dengue-causing mosquito breeding, the official said.

He said hundreds of freshwater ponds in various areas of the city had become a big challenge for the district administration.

There are 24 big ponds in nine union councils of the Shalamar Town only, besides scores of smaller pools. Similarly, he said, some 15 big water ponds are located only in J and E Blocks of Sabzazar.

The fresh monsoon spell had badly affected the anti-dengue strategies and fumigation drive, besides increasing the number of dengue cases manifold, particularly in Lahore, he said.