THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram corporation can now heave a sigh of relief as the shortage of Malathion, a compound used for vector control, has now been resolved. It's more potent than Pyrethrum, the compound which is currently used. It was Kunnukuzhy councilor I.P. Binu who has been demanding that the compound be made available. He and other councilors have now confirmed that there is no shortage anymore.
The corporation officials say that the use of Malathion was limited as it was a toxic organophosphorous insecticide and was administered only in areas where cases of mosquito-related diseases were reported. "Hence, we used to stock them less and the stocks were usually replenished by Directorate of Health Services," officials said, adding that even DHS ran short of the substance as there was an alarming increase in the number of dengue cases. Now, the compound is directly sourced from a public sector company.
Meanwhile, some among the public have raised concerns over the toxicity of the compound. The corporation officials, however, rule out its chances. "The dosage we apply is very low and it will not cause any problems to human beings," the officials clarify. Malathion is administered after mixing it up with diesel. "In five litres of diesel, 250 ml of Malathion will be mixed," says Binu. "It is more potent than Pyrethrum, which needs to be applied from all three directions to ensure sufficient vector control. But Malathion is so effective that you need to apply it only once in three months in very small dosages," he pointed out.
