Mosquito menace back with a vengeance after rains

BBMP found wanting as it has not renewed tenders for fogging

As the rains have subsided, residents across the city are complaining of a resurgence of mosquito menace and there are fears of another wave of dengue outbreak. What has made the situation worse is that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has not renewed tenders for fogging, creating gaps in the anti-mosquito drive.

Mosquito menace and lack of response from the civic body is a cause for concern in apartment complexes and gated communities on the city’s outskirts. In several instances, residents themselves have invested in fogging machines. Sampath Ramanujam, secretary, Force – Greater Whitefield, said fogging to control the mosquito menace was incurring a monthly cost of over ₹5,000, at each apartment complex. He added that nearly 50% of the apartments today have fogging machines, while some have also installed natural mosquito traps, which costs almost double the fogging machines.

After the rains, water level in the lakes have come down and the waterbodies have become breeding ground for mosquitoes, said residents in areas including Bellandur, Varthur, and HSR Layout.

Jagadish Reddy, a resident of Varthur, said as most of the water had been drained out from the lake, stagnant pools of water had become mosquito breeding ground. Zahid Javali of HSR Layout said the number of viral fever and dengue cases had been on the rise over the last few weeks in the neighborhood. “Any rain leads to stagnant water on the streets. Now, lakes and many raja kaluves have become mosquito breeding ground,” he said.

However, the BBMP does not appear to be ready for the challenge. Several residents’ welfare associations said despite repeated calls to the civic body, rarely is anyone sent to fog the area.

Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Health, BBMP, conceded that the contracts for fogging had expired several months ago, but claimed that it had not hampered fogging in the city. “We have asked the old contractors to continue fogging for which they will be paid based on work orders. We will soon call tenders for fogging in all zones. In fact, Bommanahalli and West zones have called for tenders, which are still being finalised,” he said. He, however, added that fogging had little effect and they were looking at spraying chemical pesticides on large waterbodies with pools of stagnant water.

Dengue cases on the decline

The number of dengue cases peaked this year in August, with 1,514 cases being reported. The figures declined to 1,047 in September and 846 in October so far.

However, with a relatively dry spell, dengue cases are expected to go up again, BBMP officials said, and added that they were taking all steps to contain them.