Municipal Corporations' reliability on using costly insecticides to control mosquito menace has failed to get the required result as the number of cases linked to vector-borne diseases is increasing day by day, according to experts.
They said instead of adopting scientifically proved eco-friendly measures such as introducing larvae-eating fish Gambusia in water-bodies, distributing 'Agave Americana' plant that has a "larvicidal efficacy" and promoting dengue free cooler, the agency is promoting individual interests and benefiting a particular company which sells insecticides. Even the north Mayor endorsed the concept of dengue free cooler and termed it as part of preventive measures.
North MCD Mayor Preety Agrwal had said the Corporation will use radio, social media along with banners and pamphlets to create awareness among masses and the officials have been directed to explain the benefits of putting a net over water coolers. But it has been proved merely an empty promise as it has never promoted in any of the awareness programme organised in every wards.
With six cases of malaria reported this week, the number of people affected by such vector-borne disease in the city this year has reached to 356. A total of 94 malaria cases reported in July this year, highest in four years. While the number of dengue and chikungunya cases recorded since January stands at 365 and 246 respectively till August 5, according to the status report of municipal Corporations released on Monday. Thirteen cases of dengue have been reported this week till August 5 with 117 fresh cases reported last month, while 15 were recorded in June. Cases of all the three vector-borne diseases have not been reduced even after Corporation's claim to have taken all the measures to control the menace.
Sources in the Corporation said the spraying insecticide is a futile exercise. “By doing this the agency is fooling the people.” Explaining the process from procurement of insecticides from a particular company to further distribution to the 'District Heath Officer' (DHOs), they said, "First insecticides purchased by agency and then allotted to DHOs on demand but there is an elephant in the room that has not been noticed till now as there is no mechanism to check that whether the DHOs are further using the insecticides in a desired quantity or not."
They further highlighted that a tank used for spraying cost Rs 1.5 lakh while the insecticides cost Rs 1,050 per kg. To make a water cooler dengue free only cost Rs 25, said sources. Most importantly, there is no measure to check whether insecticides worth Rs 1.5 lakh (in a single tank) is being used to spray or not.
Some of the officials on the condition of anonymity also alleged that the DHO's sells insecticides back to the company at the 50 per cent cost.
Additional Commissioner (Health) Pankaj Kumar Singh last month, told The Pioneer that the Agave Americana' plant is an eco-friendly and effective to check mosquito menace. Also, he had said one should mix 10 ml of plant juice in 400 ml water. This process can kill the larva of Aedes mosquito within one hour. Earlier senior officials of the Corporation said the introduction of the concept of the dengue free cooler is an environment-friendly initiative and will be taken up at war footing to generate awareness among the people. "The concept was developed by experts of health department after years of research and experience practical approach to deal with mosquitoes menace. The maximum breeding of Aedes mosquito, which causes dengue and chikungunya, takes place in desert coolers so we have already instructed manufacturers to sell dengue-free cooler. This initiative would help in containing the number of cases of these diseases," they said.
The situation may turn worse as 'The National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) had already found two new species of Anopheles Stephensi (urban vector) and Anopheles Culicifacies (rural vector) circulating this year. The parasitic infection was lying dormant after mutating, but it has made a comeback after a gap of five years at a time when Delhi is already reeling under the scourge of dengue and chikungunya.