GHMC fails to swat mosquito menace
Entomology staff accused of forging residents’ signatures
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has managed to clear hyacinth from around 20 lakes and water tanks out of the total 81 identified this year. The presence of hyacinth in the lake had caused massive mosquito menace near the lakes. Residents claimed that the entomology department staff has been registering fake signatures of residents regarding fogging operations which were actually not done at the groundlevel.
Sharing his experience, T. Yadgiri, a resident of Nacharam, said that mosquito menace has been a 365-day problem in the area. He that the GHMC entomology staff had been registering fake signatures without performing fogging and anti-larval operations.
“Since a month, the mosquito menace had become unbearable and we could not step out of our houses. No fogging operation was conducted since a year,” he said.
Echoing her concerns, N. Bhagyalakshmi, a resident of Ramantapur, said that the corporation had been conducting anti-larval operations once in a week but not fogging operations. She said it had become impossible to step outside home after 6 pm.
“The mosquito menace has intensified especially this year and the corporation officials had been turning a blind eye towards the issue. If the same situation prevails, monsoon will be a nightmare and dengue fevers would be a common disease in the neighbourhood,” she said.
When queried about this, a senior official said that the polluted lakes and tanks were breeding sites for the mosquitoes. He said that the corporation has been doing its best by clearing hyacinth and performing fogging operations on a regular basis. When asked about the delay in clearing the hyacinth, he refused to comment on the issue.
According to the official data, the corporation had identified as many as 14 lakes which have grass and hyacinth in the north zone, 34 in the west zone, eight in the central zone, 10 in the south zone and 15 in the east zone.
Out of the total areas identified since a year, the corporation has managed to clear hyacinth in Chinna Cheruvu in Ramantapur, Huda Park in Golkonda, Kotha Cheruvu in Shaikpet, Khaidamma Cheruvu in Hafeezpet, Reque Kunta in Chandanagar, Patel Kunta in Miyapur among others.