KARACHI, Nov 3: Residents of the areas falling in the Defence Housing Authority and cantonment board areas complain that despite the great risks they were exposed to in the shape of dengue fever, the DHA and CBs had shown no interest in ensuring protection of their lessees from the fast spreading virus.

“After the recent monsoon rains, it is the second time that the DHA and the Clifton Cantonment Board have adopted an indifferent attitude towards a serious problem as they have avoided even getting the areas in their respective jurisdiction fumigated, which shows how pathetic they are towards such a serious situation,” Mansoor Rashid, a resident of DHA, Phase-V, told Dawn.

He said the residents were quite confused about the municipal responsibilities shared by the DHA and Clifton Cantonment Board in the twin posh localities. If one of them is approached to get a problem resolve, it would shift the responsibility to the other, according to him.

“After wasting considerable time and energy, we have learnt that fumigation is responsibility of the CCB but its officials are showing no interest in fulfilling their responsibilities,” Mr Rashid said.

A resident of Phase-II, DHA, Mohammad Mohsin, said despite being maligned and criticised in public by the DHA and cantonment boards, the city government came to the rescue of vulnerable people both within its own jurisdiction and that of the other agencies.

“It was CDGK that had rescued people from the wrath of the recent devastating rains despite the fact they lived in the areas not falling in its limits. I appeal to the city nazim to extend CDGK’s fumigation drive to cover our areas too,” Mr Mohsin said.

Residents and shopkeepers in the Karachi Cantonment Board (KCB) said they were still waiting for the fumigation supposed to be carried by the board.

“There is an urgent need for an effective campaign by the KCB to fumigate all the houses, apartment buildings, markets and educational institutions in its limits,” said Mohammad Sharif, a resident of an apartment building in Saddar.

Another resident said he had seen a fumigation machine spraying insecticide in Saddar once last month but failed to see a follow-up. Besides, he said the chemical being used appeared not effective enough to eliminate mosquitoes. “I saw mosquitoes flying even in the midst of the chemical fog.”

People living in and around Jauhar Morr in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, which falls in the limits of the Cantonment Board Faisal, also made similar complaints about the lack of interest on the part of the authorities concerned in checking the dengue incidence.

“The cantonment authorities had done little during the recent heavy rains and similar is their attitude in protecting their residents from mosquitoes carrying dengue virus,” Mohammad Fahim, a resident of Jauhar Morr said.

People living in the Korangi Creek, Malir and Manora cantonment areas are also waiting for the launching of a fumigation campaign. A resident of Safoora Goth said the local population had appealed to the Malir Cantonment Board to start the campaign but had got no response so far.

“We are still waiting for any such drive,” said the resident. Similar was the complaint by residents of Bhitai Colony, which falls in the jurisdiction of Korangi Creek Cantonment Board.

A spokesman for the Clifton Cantonment Board claimed that its field teams had already completed one round of fumigation across its limits and had started the second phase on Friday. “Now, we have started fumigating all the schools falling in our jurisdiction from today,” said the spokesman.

It may be mentioned that at a high-level meeting chaired by Federal Health Minister Naseer A Khan, the CDGK representatives had accused the cantonments, KPT and DHA of not taking appropriate and prompt measures to protect the people of their respective areas from dengue menace. They maintained that the CDGK was covering some of such areas in its fumigation drive as mosquitoes were invading the areas in CDGK limits from the cantonment, DHA and KPT areas.