Fogging drive running behind schedule

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 3

Despite tall claims of Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) officials regarding the heavy scheduled fogging to tackle the issue of mosquito breeding across the city, things continue to remain on paper as the fogging activity is running behind schedule.

Uncovered garbage containers, scattered filth, choked drains and stagnant water across the city, including the main road, have made city residents prone to a number of mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue. Notably, Bathinda has gained a notorious name for itself in the state for registering the highest number of dengue and malaria cases in 2015. The city registered a large number of cases of the two diseases in the previous year as well.

President of an NGO, Naujawan Welfare Society, Sonu Maheshwari, claimed that its not happening first time now. Its an every-year story that the fogging done by the MCB in the city was not enough.

He said due to the MCB activity running behind schedule, volunteers of the NGO have started doing fogging on their motorcycles for the past over four years.

Rajesh Kumar, a shopkeeper in the Santpura Road area, alleged that many a times, he had complained over phone to Municipal Corporation officials that there are railway tracks right opposite his shop and open defecation and stagnant water is common along the railway lines due to which chances of mosquito breeding increase manifold.

“In the past two weeks, fogging has been done only once. I don’t know whether it was done by the MCB or private NGOs,” he said.

Notably, the MCB has only three fogging machines to handle the heavy fogging schedule that has been prepared by the corporation officials. Add to it the fact that fogging cannot be done during high temperature hours. The fogging medicine is put into the machine in liquid state and under high pressure. It is converted into a gaseous form and used as fog to kill mosquitoes.

Senior Deputy Mayor Tarsem Goyal said: “The MCB has three fogging machines and fogging is being conducted for an hour in the morning and a maximum of two hours in the evening. We are trying to cover as many areas as possible.”

However, Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said fogging was going on in the city.

He said fogging was more important to be conducted in winters as in summers the high temperature kills the mosquitoes.

According to medical experts, the peak season of malaria overlaps with the rainy season, during which, the number of mosquitoes increase in an environment conducive to breeding. The Aedes mosquito, which is the vector for dengue, breeds in stagnant water which accumulates during the rainy season. The breeding places and cesspools must be sprayed with oil which, in turn, will block the oxygen from entering the water, thus preventing breeding.

Highest number of cases in state

Bathinda has gained a notorious name for itself in the state for registering the highest number of dengue and malaria cases in 2015. The city registered a large number of cases of the two diseases in the previous year as well.

Unhygienic conditions spell trouble for residents

Uncovered garbage containers, scattered filth, choked drains and stagnant water across the city, including the main road, have made city residents prone to a number of mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue. Notably, the MCB has only three fogging machines to handle the heavy fogging schedule that has been prepared by Municipal Corporation officials.