Hyderabad: Anti-larval operations fail to stop mosquito sting

• Residents flay officials as mosquitoes increase manifold, demand sterner measures

• Criticise that fogging & spraying in residential areas not done despite pleas

• Officials claim they are responding to complaints; focusing on water bodies

Rajendranagar: In the face of onslaught by winged disease-carriers, the entomology wing in Rajendranagar has tried everything in the book, including deployment of drones, to eliminate the mosquito menace, complaints are continuing to pour in from several colonies.

While the entomology staff is using drones to spray chemicals in lakes and ponds as part of their anti-larval operations, the same is not being taken up in residential areas where fogging and spraying are only being carried out manually by the field staff.

Though the team is toiling hard to carry fogging and spraying in residential areas, the residents are not quite satisfied with their labour as they feel their efforts are not at all showing any impact on the ground as mosquitoes continue to attack residents from dawn to dusk.

"We are witnessing rapid increase in mosquitoes in our colony and have even informed the local entomology officials about the menace. However, no proper fogging and spraying are done to prevent the spread of flying insects. Complaints made to entomology wing officials have gone unheard as they are completely non-cooperative," rued Mir Shoukat Ali, a social activist, and other residents of the area.

Contrary to the clams of officials that they are attending to the complaints as and when they are made, people say, "We haven't seen any such activities carried in our colony to prevent spread of mosquitoes. We could manage the issue of stinging flies in day-time it becomes difficult to pass whole night without using mosquito repellents as the prevalence of mosquito menace can't allow us to sleep in tranquility."

Assistant Entomologist Udai Kiran said, "We are carrying out spraying of anti-larvae chemical using drones and our primary focus is on Musi river stretch at Attapur and Hyderguda as well as those ponds and lakes which are not easily accessible via road connectivity. Among the six circles of the Charminar Zone, the majority of lakes and ponds are in Rajendranagar. As such we are very much concentrated in this area besides covering the ponds that are exists in others circles once in a week."

"Meanwhile," he said, "we are also attending the complaints as and when it receives from residential colonies and sending our teams to carry fogging to prevent mosquito spread.

In the next leg of anti-larvae operations using drone technology, we will cover Talakunta, Pathi Kunta and Pallecheruvu Ponds under Rajendranagar."

When asked about the Mir Alam Lake, the official informed that "The lake will be covered soon as complaints to this effect are being received frequently from the surrounding areas. Drone operation in Mir Alam Lake is also on the cards."