Mosquito menace starts troubling city residents

“I was living in a rented house in Jaffarkhanpet for several months. Even though all the windows and doors are covered with mosquito nets, we are not able to tolerate the mosquito menace in the last few weeks. So, I moved to Adambakkam two days ago,” said RG Jagadish. 

Jagadish added that he had moved from Royapettah to Jaffarkhanpet, which is closer to his office. “I knew mosquitoes were a problem in the areas located on the banks of Adyar river. But now, it has become unbearable,” he said. 

Many residents in the city are witnessing a sudden surge in the mosquito menace and demanded the Corporation to act before the situation worsens in order to prevent disease outbreak.

However, Corporation officials expressed optimism that the menace would be controlled soon and added that they were taking measures to prevent mosquito breeding. “We have intensified our drive. Door-to-door visits and fogging have been done. We will handle the situation,” a Chennai Corporation official said.

When asked the reason for the sudden spike in mosquito breeding, the official explained that a specific temperature level helps to increase the mosquito breeding. “We had a prolonged winter this year. This has played a major role in the rise. We are also trying scientific methods like using smartphone-based monitoring to control breeding. These measures will fructify,” he added.

On the other hand, residents in many parts of the city are alleging that the civic workers are carrying out fogging and door-to-door visits only in certain areas. 

“Till two weeks ago, we were free from mosquito bites. Now, we could not sleep without a fan or vaporizer. I do not see any fogging activity in my area,” a Choolaimedu resident said.