Civic officials waiting for clear weather to launch mosquito control campaign

The civic authorities of Kochi are waiting for the weather conditions to improve to initiate intensive mosquito control measures despite complaints about the growing threat of mosquitoes.

The original plan of the Kochi Corporation’s health officials was to send its 210 health workers to different parts of the city to prevent breeding of mosquitoes at the source. The mosquito menace had intensified over the past few weeks as intermittent rains in the city provided an ideal condition for the insects to breed, according to civic officials.

The 210 workers will be divided into five squads and deployed in the eastern and western parts of the city. Each squad will be provided with hand and power sprayers and hand fogging machines for spraying larvicides to target adult mosquitoes. The squad members will also bring nets to cover the air pipes of the toilets in the buildings. The pipes will be covered with these nets, which are provided free of cost, to prevent the escape of mosquitoes that breed inside the septic tank.

TK Ashraf, chairman of the health standing committee of Kochi Corporation, said the drive is being carried out after septic tanks acted as the biggest breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Larvicides can only be used in dry weather conditions as they can wash away in rain. If the weather permits, the campaign will be started on Wednesday itself. It rained in some parts of the city on Tuesday. If the rains continue, the campaign may have to be postponed, he added.

Mr Ashraf said there is a need to explore the possibility of using drones for spraying larvicides in the marshy areas of the LNG terminal at Puthuweepin and the holdings of the Cochin Port Trust. He said the issue would be discussed with the Mayor of Kochi and others as mosquitoes from these areas are entering Marine Drive and Fort Kochi areas.