Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 05/09/2019. Mosquitoes breeding at a pool of stagnant water near Kuruvikaran Salai on Thursday. Photo; G. Moorthy/ The Hindu


On Thursday morning, 55-year-old A. Mala, a resident of Panthalkudi Seventh Street, is seen constantly moving her hand to shoo away mosquitoes swarming around her.

Pointing to the bite marks, she says, “Not a single night passes without the familiar buzz of mosquitoes.”

The recent short spells of rain in the city have led to an increase in mosquito breeding. Residents of many areas, including Railway Colony, Melavasal, Sellur, Kuruvikaran Salai and Simmakkal, and those residing along the banks of channels are the worst affected. With the increase in mosquito menace across the city, residents want to know the steps taken by Madurai Corporation to tackle it and prevent the possible outbreak of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya.

Over the past few weeks, the Corporation has intensified its drive to prevent the possible outbreak of dengue. Over 1,000 cases of dengue were reported last year in Madurai district. This year, there have been a few cases of suspected dengue since last month. To prevent mosquito breeding, the Corporation has deployed 500 domestic breeding checkers (DBC), who will visit commercial and residential buildings to identify spots where dengue-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito breeds and take up control measures. While 100 DBCs have been allocated to each zone, a rapid response team has been formed with 100 workers who will work in areas where dengue cases have been reported.

“Many residents turn hostile and do not allow the workers to enter their houses. Residents must cooperate with the workers in checking mosquito breeding,” says R. Jeyaprakash, a resident of Kannanenthal. The Corporation is also breeding around 40,000 Gambusia fish that can eat mosquito larvae in freshwater. The fish can be used in overhead tanks, concrete sumps and storage tanks. The civic body is planning to distribute it to residents in a month through DBC workers.

To tackle adult mosquitoes, the Corporation resorts to fogging. Currently, the civic body has four vehicle-mounted machines and 34 hand fogging machines.

A health official from the Corporation says that due to absence of chemicals, the workers did not carry out regular fogging for around six months. “They have beenbought last month for regular use,” says the official. When contacted, the City Health Officer (in-charge), S. Vinoth confirmed it.

The official also adds that many of the hand fogging machines are under repair. “We have submitted proposals for repairing the hand fogging machines,” he says. Residents from several wards complain that the vehicle-mounted fogging machines only cover the main roads.

“On Tuesday, an auto rickshaw-mounted fogging machine covered only Rajendra Main Road within five minutes. They did not cover the interior roads and stretches,” says S. P. Mariappan, a shopkeeper. While all these measures of the Corporation are primarily focussed on its drive against dengue, residents complain that officials are not bothered about the continuing mosquito menace throughout the year.

“Every day, we are forced to buy at least two mosquito coils, each costing ₹5. In addition, we also buy mosquito repellent liquids which last only for a couple of weeks,” says M. Dhanalakshmi, a resident of Pandian Nagar, located adjacent to the Kiruthumal river near Arasaradi. “We are worried about the safety of our three-month-old baby,” she adds.

M. Rajesh, Assistant Professor of Zoology at American College, explains that stagnation of water happens in channels and along the roadside and these are the main places for mosquito breeding. “Channels with concrete beds do not allow percolation of water and hence it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he says.

The Corporation is currently dropping oil balls in stormwater channels which are clogged with plastic and waste. Saw dust packed in old jute gathered from used gunny bags is soaked in crude oil for seven days to make oil balls. However, the oil balls are not suitable for large waterbodies, says Mr. Rajesh. “If it rains or if the water overflows, the oil spread on the water surface will be disturbed and the purpose will not be served.”

Experts say that the ideal solution will be to ensure a constant flow of water in stormwater channels through declogging and clearing the channels.

City Health Officer (in-charge) S. Vinoth says that the civic body is planning to intensify fogging once in 15 days. To tackle mosquito breeding in channels, the Corporation will procure mosquito larvicidal oil. “This will control mosquito breeding by 95%,” he adds.

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Printable version | Jun 4, 2022 3:41:08 am | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/the-mosquito-buzz-just-got-louder-in-madurai/article29343863.ece