Civic bodies failed at mosquito control, say 72% people in survey

Bengaluru: Amid rising dengue cases, a survey by community social media platform LocalCircles has shown that nearly 72 per cent of the 1,752 participants thought the state’s municipal corporations and panchayats have done little to prevent the mosquito menace.

While 72 per cent of the participants said that there has been no fogging or anti-mosquito spraying in their area in the last 45 days, close to 71 per cent said that this has been the case every monsoon.

Though the survey results point to a need for better surveillance and stronger preventive measures, senior Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials said that they have been putting measures in place to ensure the mosquito menace is in control.

“Over the last 20 days, we have conducted a door-to-door larval survey of close to three lakh households. While fogging and spraying do help, source reduction is the immediate requirement,” BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Dr Trilok Chandra said.

He added that the civic body is also conducting Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities to spread awareness among people.

While there might have been some activities in Bengaluru, health department sources said that lack of manpower might have affected the activities in districts and cities outside Bengaluru. 

The survey further revealed that the respondents who thought the municipalities were not doing much were resorting to various other means to keep the mosquito menace under check. The use of mosquito rackets, repellents and sprays, and coils were among the most used measures. Only 9 per cent of the participants had opted for private fogging services. 

Asked how much they were spending on such measures, close to 33 per cent of the participants said that they spent anywhere between Rs 200 and Rs 500 monthly.

Similarly, at least 30 per cent spent up to Rs 200. Surprisingly, 1 per cent of the participants spent as much as Rs 5,000 every month and 2 per cent were in the Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 bracket.

Experts conducted a door-to-door larval survey. While fogging and spraying do help source reduction is the immediate requirement they say.