The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Mosquito menace leaves citizens sleepless

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Saturday, Apr 26, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Mosquito menace leaves citizens sleepless

S. Sandeep Kumar

Rapid spread of hyacinth in water bodies cited as major factor for increase in mosquito population

OUCH!: Several colonies in the State Capital have been experiencing an acute mosquito problem.

HYDERABAD: Several parts of the State capital are under attack from swarms of mosquitoes. Literally.

The rapid spread of water hyacinth in water bodies in the twin cities is being cited as the single-most contributory factor for the rapid increase in mosquito population. As the bleary-eyed residents of several localities complain of bureaucratic inaction in checking the mosquito menace, authorities start passing the buck.

Be it Uppal, Alwal, Rajendranagar, Safilguda, Langer Houz or any locality, the incessant buzz of mosquitoes takes over and municipal authorities say mosquito-breeding is directly proportional to the growth of water hyacinth in lakes and other water bodies.

The problem is extremely intense in areas like Golconda, Asifnagar, Tolichowki, Neeraja Colony, Shaikpet, Mehdipatnam and Attapur.

In these areas, officials say, the mosquito population, measured in units of Man Hour Density (MHD) stands at 62 -- the highest recorded in the city this year. The tolerable MHD limit is around three.

The MHD is calculated literally by counting the mosquitoes trapped in a suction pump in an hour in a stipulated place, mostly in the evenings.

Anti-mosquito operations are taken up in areas based on the MHD count, according to GHMC Chief Entomologist D. Narahari.

The reason for the highest MHD in these areas is that there are water bodies like Shah Ateem Talab at Quli Qutb Shah Tombs, Langer Houz water tank and most of the small water bodies have water hyacinth and other weeds which offer dense organic matter that help boost mosquito breeding, he says.

100 workers

The GHMC had pressed into service over 100 workers to remove water hyacinth in Shah Ateem Talab and fogging operations would be taken up shortly to bring down the MHD count.

HUDA blamed

The official squarely blamed the HUDA for not maintaining the water tank in Langar Houz Park. The net result is that people living in Neeraja Colony, Shaikpet and adjoining colonies are suffering due to the increased mosquito menace. The situation is no different at Mir Alam water tank, where MHD levels fluctuate around 25, Mr. Narahari maintained.

On the outlying areas like Safilguda and Alwal, the MHD count stood at 16, while Uppal and adjoining colonies registered 10 MHD. The presence of water hyacinth in Bandlaguda Lake is leading to mosquito related problems in Uppal and surrounding areas. However, areas surrounding Hussainsagar have registered lower MHD counts, primarily due to intense fogging and anti-larval measures initiated, Mr. Narahari claimed.

In addition to the growth of water hyacinth, climate from February to April is congenial for mosquito breeding.

Peculiar problem

There is another peculiar problem that is turning out to be an insurmountable one for civic officials. In case of large areas like the Osmania University, Defence Labs and Secunderabad Cantonment Board, the civic staff are not being allowed to take up anti-mosquito operations. As a result residents in neighbouring areas are forced to bear the mosquito menace, points out Mr. Narahari. He can be contacted on 98490-14758.

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