Mosquito menace in Kochi- the blame game continues…..
Published February 25, 2008 | 
Kochi: The buzzing sound of the winged monsters of mosquitoes and their painful bite has indeed become the way of the life for many Kochiites, who are forced to shell out a substantial amount on mosquito repellent every month. Mosquito menace is all set to be the synonym of Kochi in the coming days. Anyone landing in this otherwise picturesque place cannot escape the Mosquito menace, which drains not just the blood of the hapless populace but also bleeds the exchequer, which is siphoning off lakhs of rupees to fight the menace. Mosquitoes are causative agents of many dreaded diseases like Chikungunia and dengue fever. The mosquito menace reaches its peak from December to February as this is the breeding season of the mosquitoes. As there is no heavy rain during these months, the mosquitoes find the stagnant waters an ideal spot to breed.
Kochi, of yesteryears was blessed with a natural flushing mechanism when salt water from the swollen back waters used to flush the city drains off the mosquito larvae during the rainy season. However with increased urbanization, the waterways are blocked with non degradable wastes and plastics, hampering the free flow of water. Unscientific construction of roads and buildings, often encroaching the wetlands and waterfront is yet another reason for the stagnation of canals with dirty water. The local administration and the public are equally responsible for this current bleak situation. Better hygiene and well laid out roads are the only permanent solutions to fight the problem.
Though the corporation regularly undertakes fogging and spraying, it has not brought in any effective results. These days, flushing of drains with salt water and biolarvicides is progressing in various canals and water bodies in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The civic body is going ahead with the plan of appointing full time entomologists in Kochi to help in the research on mosquito control. Minister for Law M. Vijayakumar inaugurated the vector control drive in the heavily polluted Parvathy Puthanar canal in the capital on Sunday by operating a spraying machine mounted on a boat. The minister stressed the need for public participation in vector control activities.
Kochi has to make steady strides in mosquito control to retain the past glory, which fetched her, the coveted title of the “Queen of Arabian Sea”. It is high time that the responsible citizens of this enchanting city to take up the cudgel for an everlasting respite from these blood suckers!
