The GHMC has put the onus on educational institutions and IT firms with huge campuses to take up their own respective anti-larval operations because most dengue and malaria cases were being reported from students and software professionals.
Precautions
Admitting that these campuses were currently not being covered by the anti-malaria wing of the municipal corporation for “various reasons”, Commissioner M.T.Krishna Babu on Tuesday feared high mosquito breeding could have happened in these areas.
Hence, he requested the establishments concerned to pay special attention towards the mosquito control measures while assuring that the anti-malaria wing was ready to cooperate and provide the technical know how.
The entomology wing has apparently been told to cover such institutions on a payment basis only and none had bothered to revert to the municipal corporation after the ‘user charges’ were mentioned, senior officials averred.
Special drives
Two rounds of special drives were conducted last month covering 472 slums focusing on anti-larval operations, awareness programmes and indoor residual spray in select localities. Eight vehicles mounted fogging machines and 91 portable fogging machines are in operation every day.
Equipment supplied
About 340 knapsack sprayers, 18 power sprayers and 20 stirrup pumps are also being used. Three more vehicle mounted sprayers, more portable fogging machines, sprayers and other equipment are also being supplied to various circles, said the Commissioner after a review meeting. About 88 Gambusia and 19 Poicilia nurseries are also being maintained containing 4.2 lakh and 0.52 lakh fish, respectively. The GHMC has deputed 57 workers fomosquito larval control exclusively for the Musi River and has proposed to engage another 300 additional workers for the exercise for the next two months, he added.
