E Sreedharan to head Kochi's mosquito fight

Kochi: After initiating desilting of Mullassery canal, an NGO headed by  E. Sreedharan on Friday launched a mosquito eradication programme which will be implemented with the help of the Kochi Corporation and residents associations among others. To start with, the NGO 'Foundation for Restoration of National Values' will start distributing awareness pamphlets to all households through residents associations, Business Houses and commercial establishments.

"We'll enlist and harness assistance of each counselor to own the scheme. The residents associations will be requested to set up a task force for monitoring and compliance of the directions in the pamphlets," Dr Sreedharan said. Ventilation pipes of all septic tanks and soak pits will be covered by nets. Seepage from the septic tank would not be allowed in to the public drainage. Waste water from hotels, hospitals etc should be treated and made safe before letting into drainages. Also a scheme will be rolled out to distribute mosquito-fish to be reared in pond and tanks to destroy larva with the assistance of CMFRI (Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute), he said.

Mayor Soumuni Jain, who inaugurated the programme, requested the active participation and cooperation of all citizens to make it effective. On the progress of the desilting work, Dr Sreedharan said that 90 per cent of the work is completed. "The banks of the canal will be beautified and gates and high-pressure pumps will be fitted at the mouth of the canal to prevent flooding during high tide," he said. The FRNV earlier approached the corporate bodies and PSUs to fund the project. Kochouseph Chittilappilly contributed Rs 10 lakhs and the Cochin Shipyard has come forward to provide shuttering system in the Mullasery canal.