Malabar Hill audits malaria spots……..Linah Baliga
Residents Work With BMC To Record And Clear Mosquito Breeding Sites In The Area
Residents Work With BMC To Record And Clear Mosquito Breeding Sites In The Area
Mumbai: The rains may or may not be over,but the residents of Malabar Hill are taking no chances with the menace malaria.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative,the Malabar Hill Residents Association,along with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Pest Control India Pvt Ltd (PCI),are conducting a photo audit of buildings,including ministerial bungalows,in the area to check for mosquito breeding sites.
The initiative,which has been split into two phases,has already covered about 60 buildings and three ministerial bungalows between Little Gibbs Road and Ruparel Road.In the next phase,residents hope to cover the remaining buildings in the area,including the governors bungalow and CM Ashok Chavans residence.
Importantly,the audit report for the first phase names the buildings at fault,lists the problems and suggests corrective action,besides giving pictures of the mosquito breeding sites.In one instance,the report points out that the residents association noticed mosquito larvae in small and big glass jars in one buildings garden area;it recommended disposing the items immediately.
In another building,the association spotted leaky pipes in the pump room which were causing water stagnation and consequently breeding mosquitoes.The report suggests the building repair the pipes immediately.The audit report states that the most common reason for water stagnation is discarded items.Malaria or dengue isnt a seasonal phenomenon.Housing societies are equal stakeholders and are responsible for breeding mosquitoes.The onus shouldnt be just on the BMC.A photo audit of the buildings was the only way to understand where citizens were going wrong, said Indrani Malkani,secretary of MHRA.
Once the audit is over,the BMCs pest control department will fumigate the problem areas.
This report goes to all buildings in the area,so none of us are isolated.With this report in hand,the BMC is empowered to take corrective measures and issue notices on areas that need rectification.The BMC can also share this information with other authorities like the public works department which maintains government buildings, said Malkani.
Photo audits will help reduce mosquito larvae breeding by 30% and stop the spread of malaria and dengue at the building level, said Ramesh Shanbhag,divisional manager,PCI.
R Naringrekar,pest control officer,D ward,said,This photo audit will help the BMC only if the report is submitted within 24 hours.We can then visit the temporary breeding sites on time.Action will be taken if residents fail to clear mosquito breeding sites.We have already established a system of cistern inspections under which every type of water storage in buildings is checked every six weeks
STAKEHOLDERS RECOMMEND
The problem of mosquito breeding should be tackled on the same footing as disasters Any solution should focus on the complete eradication of these breeding spots Besides the BMC,other government departments and citizens too should be involved in the exercise
* STUDY GROUP: Residents of a Malabar Hill building inspect a sample of mosquito larva found breeding in the area