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| Anti-mosquito fogging guns at the Berhampur Municipal Corporation office. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy |
Berhampur, Dec. 5: Staff shortage at the civic body has badly affected the malaria eradication programme here.
Thirty-three field workers were appointed here to control malaria following the launch of the National Malaria Eradication Programme in 1974. But after 39 years, the number of the field workers has now decreased to 27. Of them, 20 are engaged in spraying the chemicals, while the remaining seven are involved in bush cutting.
At present, the city has a necessity of 120 field workers.
“Though we have a stock of 400 litres of mosquito larvicidal oil and 300 litres of temethos to spray in the drains to kill the larvae and the mosquitoes, we run short of manpower and machines,” said city health officer Subhakanta Das.
District malaria officer Uma Shankar Mishra said though 30 posts of field workers had been sanctioned for the district, they were yet to be recruited.
The residents alleged that anti-mosquito oil had not been sprayed in drains. The municipal corporation has been accused of not undertaking fogging and bush-cutting operations.
“Mosquito menace has aggravated since cyclone Phailin hit Ganjam on October 12. The authorities must initiate urgent steps to control the mosquito menace,” said Jatin Das, a social activist.
Waterlogging in slums and low-lying areas has made these places ideal for mosquito breeding, he said.
The city health officer said: “We have engaged a fogging machine and 20 hand-operated spraying machines since yesterday.”