For the past 10 days, corporators in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits have undertaken various sanitation efforts to prevent the rise of mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue, in Hyderabad. The efforts were undertaken as part of the Telangana government’s flagship programme, Pattana Pragathi, to prevent seasonal diseases. The GHMC has taken up sanitation and cleaning work under the programme.
The GHMC has been coordinating with the corporators, to remove the garbage, de-weed road margins, desilt lakes and drains, clean vacant lands with garbage, and de-weed them. The corporators also coordinate with the entomology department to undertake fogging, door-to-door visits to ensure there are no mosquito breeding points and spraying of anti-larva chemicals into lakes. The GHMC is also releasing gambusia (mosquitofish) into lakes as a means to control the mosquito population.
While all corporators took up these anti-mosquito efforts annually, some say it does little to improve the situation on the ground. Mohammad Naseeruddin, corporator for the Nanal Nagar ward in Hyderabad, says, “We have just got a breather from COVID-19 cases, so the GHMC is being proactive to prevent any other disease from rising.” However, he adds, “We need to scale up these efforts.”
Special Drive to Control Mosquito Menace In Nanal Nagar Div Karwan Constituency.
— Mohammed Naseeruddin (@naseerCorpGhmc) July 8, 2021
On the Instructions of MP @asadowaisi & MLA @kausarmohiuddin today I Supervised Fogging Operation throughout Mehraj Colony, Alhasnath Colony and Nizam Colny to control the spread of mosquito menace. pic.twitter.com/ALQtoPUr3v
According to the corporator, there are areas within each ward that a corporator does not have access to, to undertake a sanitation drive. “There are military lands within my ward where mosquitoes breed, but I don't have access to do work there. We focus on the areas where we have access, but it's not effective. There will be a respite for perhaps two weeks and the mosquito menace starts again,” he adds.
As of July 9, the GHMC limits have reported 56 dengue cases this year. While two cases of dengue were reported so far in July, about eight cases were reported in June. The Telangana Health Department data on mosquito-borne diseases suggests there has been a decline in dengue cases. The state has reported 265 dengue cases all year. Year-on-year data of dengue cases shows 6,362 cases of dengue in 2018 and 13,361 cases in 2019. The dengue cases dropped to 2,173 cases in 2020. A similar decline can also be observed in Chikungunya and Malaria cases.
However, some corporators question the data reported by GHMC. “How can there be just 56 dengue cases in all of Hyderabad this year? Since June, my ward alone has reported over 100 cases,” Mandagiri Swamy, the Karwan corporator for the GHMC, tells TNM. The corporator, like his counterparts, has been active in efforts to control mosquitoes but is also of the view that more needs to be done.
“Karwan ward is one of the localities vulnerable to dengue cases. In the past, there have been several deaths in the neighbourhood due to dengue. We are next to the Musi river and there is a garbage dumping area, which acts as a breeding ground. We have petitioned the court, spoke to the MLA and the Minister to remove or clear the garbage dumping point, but nothing much has happened,” he adds.
@KTRoffice Hello KTR Garu, This is the situation at Film Nagar Rd no.12 beside Saibaba Mandir.. Lot of mosquitoes and stinking smell.. As you know,Dengue cases are on raise in the city these days..so please resolve the matter ASAP.Could you please instruct GHMC officials to clean pic.twitter.com/rv9Dk8yzcW
— Sanand Vemulapalli (@SanandVemu) July 11, 2021
While the numbers in disease show a decline, GHMC in the past few weeks have noticed an increase in the population of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, responsible for carrying dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, reports the Times of India. Currently, at least 15 cases of Zika virus disease have been reported in Kerala. The GHMC has been measuring the mosquito population using Moskeet traps, capturing, identifying the species of mosquitoes. The traps have been set up near water bodies across Nacharam, Malakpet, Langar Houz, Yousufguda, Moosapet and Begumpet.
The corporator for Dattatreyangar, Mohammad Zaker Baquery, says his ward is not near any water bodies but still faces a mosquito problem. “The lakes have become breeding grounds due to the overgrown Hyacinth, which is causing a problem for the whole city. The fogging efforts are effective only for a brief period,” he says.
Hyderabad has over 185 lakes, with most of them covered by water hyacinth. The corporation has called tenders to remove these plants in 20 lakes.