Hyderabad household spends Rs.300 to Rs.600 a month for mosquito control

Hyderabad: A mosquito weighs barely 2.5 milligrams. But the tiny size and weight apart, they are deadly by their bites. They spread fast-spreading diseases like dengue and malaria. More so in the rainy season. Currently, Telangana has around 1,200 dengue and over 500 confirmed malaria cases.

“The public should be aware of how unclean surroundings will lead to an increase in the population of mosquitoes. They must ensure there is no stagnation of water and garbage is not strewn around,” stated Dr Amar Singh Naik, additional director for malaria control in the department of health.

His recommendations to stay safe from mosquitoes include use of mosquito nets while sleeping and resort to repellents. “And ideally, people should wear clothes that cover their bodies in full,” he said.

An average household spends anywhere from Rs.300 to Rs.600 a month in this city as mosquitoes keep multiplying in huge numbers almost everywhere.

“We use four plug-in repellents, and two cans of spray that together works out to a spend of Rs 600 a month. Even then, mosquitoes do not leave us alone,” said Alexander Paul, a resident at Attapur.

Dr Singh said given the increase in mosquito numbers this year, compared to last year, the way forward is to put plug-in repellants on not just during the night but during the daytime as well. “People may also use repellent liquids or ointments on their skin to ensure they are not bitten by mosquitoes,” he said.

Despite the daily battle the entomology wing of the GHMC claims to wage against mosquitoes, the residents across the city say the grim scenario is turning worse by the day.

The mosquitoes that cause malaria were first caught on the banks of Hussainsagar in the heart of the city by Dr Ratnam Pillai, a colleague of Sir Ronald Ross who on August 20, in 1887. He reported that malaria is caused by mosquito bite. The day is now marked as the World Mosquito Day.

According to the GHMC entomology department, around 750 teams of three persons each are doing the rounds of an average of two lakh homes as part of the ongoing mosquito eradication drive every day.

There are 185 lakes and water bodies in the GHMC limits. The civic body says it has pressed into service 11 special drones for anti-larval operations, while 63 vehicles mounted with foggers make the rounds in the city. Yet another 302 portable fogging machines are carried by workers into small lanes and bylanes where vehicle-mounted foggers cannot enter.

“We have deployed one person every 500 metres of the 21-km Musi river stretch in the city between Attapur and Uppal for mosquito eradication work,” Ayyadevara Ram Babu, the chief entomologist at GHMC, said.

He also said the GHMC has identified 364 vulnerable hot spots or areas reporting repeated cases of dengue and malaria in GHMC limits. “When a dengue infection is spotted at a house, the surrounding 50 houses are being sprayed with pyrethrum power to eradicate the mosquitoes in the area.”