Hyderabad Residents Blame GHMC for Dengue Spike, Officials Deny Laxity

Hyderabad: The recent spike in cases of vector-borne diseases, such as dengue and malaria, has left residents unhappy with the civic authorities for failing to control mosquito breeding in the city and not taking adequate anti-larval operations, such as fogging.

Experts and residents Deccan Chronicle spoke to pointed the finger at GHMC’s entomology department, claiming teams designated for anti-mosquito activities were failing to do their jobs adequately.

Srinivas, a resident of Abids, said, “GHMC workers only use the fogging machines on main roads and do not enter internal roads. They should see that all areas are covered, but they only do it for namesake and take signatures from locals. If the department would have taken the operations thoroughly, the situation would have been better and so many people would not have fallen ill.”

S.R. Sukumar, a retired professor, said: “The entomology department should carry out the operations, which we see is not happening. As most of the patents who are ill suffered mosquito bites, it is evident that the operations were not done well.”

Ayyadevara Ram Babu, the chief entomologist of GHMC, said: “When a dengue infection is reported at a house, the surrounding 50 houses are being sprayed by pyrethrum power spray to eradicate mosquitoes in the area. The GHMC has identified several vulnerable hot spots which are repeatedly reporting cases of dengue and malaria.”

Ram Babu said that 290 portable machines and three-person teams are deployed every day to undertake mosquito eradication drives.

“Lakes and water bodies in the GHMC limits are covered. Anti-larval operations are taking place all over the city twice a month. Sixty-three vehicles mounted with fogging machines are also making rounds of the city, while workers enter small lanes and by-lanes that the vehicles can’t enter,” the official said.