Khairatabad residents raise alarm over mosquito menace
HYDERABAD: Residents of Prem Nagar,Kairathabad, are worried about a growing mosquito problem. They say the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is not doing enough to fix the issue. Residents feel the fumigation is not effective and misses the real causes of the mosquitoes.
Rahul, who lives in Prem Nagar, said the mosquito problem is now unbearable. Swarms of mosquitoes fill the area all day. It is almost impossible for people to go outside without getting bitten.
He blamed a vacant plot next to his house for much of the problem. The plot has been empty for almost 15 years. People throw garbage there every day. Once a month, tenants burn the garbage, but most days trash covers the plot. This makes it a perfect place for mosquitoes to breed next to homes.
Speaking to HyderabadMail, Rahul said the mosquito problem is not just near the empty plot. Even if he stands still for ten seconds anywhere in the neighborhood, mosquitoes swarm around his legs, hands, and face.
He said GHMC’s fumigation teams only spray on the main road, not in the lanes where people live. He thinks the workers do this just to show they have done their job, not to really control mosquitoes. Rahul said he saw workers fog the main road the day before, but they did not enter the inner streets. When asked how often fogging happens, Rahul said it is rare and only happens on the main road.
Rahul said a municipal worker collects household waste daily, but residents must pay for this service even though it should be free. Still, he believes the bigger problem is that officials do not fumigate all areas or remove the trash that lets mosquitoes breed.
Residents of Prem Nagar have demanded that the corporation conduct thorough fumigation in all lanes and bylanes, clear the garbage from the vacant plot, and take concrete steps to prevent the area from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
