Active citizens take preventive steps …….Sukhada Tatke
Mumbai: While the city grapples with a sudden spurt in malaria cases, and several housing societies have been served notices for not doing enough to control the menace, some citizens groups have been more than active in preventing the disease from taking hold in their areas. For instance, the Pestom Sagar Citizens Forum, Chembur, decided to breed guppy fish three years ago in the artificial ponds constructed for Ganesh immersions. We decided to breed fish instead of letting the ponds be. We then put the fish in all places across the area where there is stagnant water: construction sites and gutters, said Dr Vijay Sangole, joint secretary of PSCF. In fact, so successful was the move that pesticide offices of two neighbouring civic wards borrowed guppy fish from them whenever needed.
At other areas, residents are keeping a close watch on pesticide officers and fumigation drives. The Malabar Hill Residents Association, for example is in close co-ordination with civic officials. We are keeping in touch with officers on a weekly basis and they are supposed to give us a detailed report of where they have carried out treatment. We also make them carry out an oil treatment which eradicates breeding completely, instead of fumigation which only kills
the fully grown mosquitoes, said Indrani Malkani, secretary of the MHRA.
the fully grown mosquitoes, said Indrani Malkani, secretary of the MHRA.
In Juhu, residents are out on the streets when fogging is going on. We all take turns in seeing how the fumigation is being carried out. We know every nook and cranny of our area so it is simpler for us to direct them to stagnant water spots, said Ashoke Pundit of the Gulmohur Residents Welfare Trust.