Residents of Kochi are plagued by mosquitoes during festivals

As dengue cases increase, mosquitoes begin to plague the city’s residents, drawing criticism from both the public and the civil administration led by the opposition United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front.

Mosquitoes in the early morning and evening have forced residents to stay indoors. By the end of October, about 12,000 dengue cases, both confirmed and suspected, were reported in the district. Eighteen people have died in the last 10 months. Of the 12,000 cases, more than 7,700 were suspected, while about 4,300 were confirmed, according to official estimates.

“The mosquito menace is so severe that we close all doors and windows by 5pm but, our baby is still covered in mosquito bites, which worries us deeply. There is no spraying of larvicide in drains or breeding grounds, nor anti-mosquito fogging,” said KH Hanesh, a resident of Fort Kochi Valley Division of Kochi Corporation.

TK Ashraf, chairman of the health standing committee of the corporation, said that instructions have been given to intensify fogging and larvicide spraying in all areas of the corporation. He said that although the number of mosquitoes increased with the onset of winter, unseasonal rains hampered spraying of larvicide.

It is said that 10 electric three-wheelers with fogging machines purchased from Bharat Electronics through the Corporate Social Responsibility Fund are lying idle while the residents are suffering from mosquito attacks. Senior Congress leader Antony Kurithara and UDF parliamentary party secretary MA Aristotle accused the corporation and the mayor of ignoring the public’s risk of mosquitoes during the Christmas season. They urged the mayor to immediately implement anti-vector measures and use fogging machines.

Mr. Ashraf said that the corporation is of the opinion that electric vehicles can be driven without registration, but that is not the case. ‘We have started the process of vehicle registration and issuance of permits. After completion of those formalities, two vehicles will be deployed in 11 health circles of the corporation. It will be used for fogging for one hour per week in all the divisions. Also, fogging will be speeded up using the existing 70 handheld machines, he said.