Cuttack, Nov. 18: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation yesterday launched an intensive fogging and larvicide spraying operation to combat mosquito menace in the city.

“It is difficult to stand outside our homes after 5pm because of the mosquitoes. So far, no concrete measure has been taken by the corporation to contain the mosquito menace in our locality,” said Sulochana Das, a home-maker from Badambadi.

CMC officials, however, claimed that this time, the anti-mosquito drive would continue for at least a month. “This is our annual mosquito control drive that is usually launched every year after monsoon. It is important keeping in view the dengue outbreak in the neighbouring states,” said city health officer P.K. Pradhan.

For the first time, the anti-mosquito drive will be launched simultaneously in all the 54 wards of the city. In its fogging drive last month, the civic body covered only 12 wards within its limits. The corporation has also procured 30 additional portable fogging machines for this purpose.

At present, there are 55 anti-fogging machines, while 25 such hand-driven machines were purchased last year. Earlier, it was not possible to carry out such operations in all wards simultaneously because of lack of machines.

The programme is usually launched in the pre-winter months — during October and November. This is the period when mosquitoes breed in stagnant water in low-lying areas and ditches.

The mosquito density level in the city stands at 44 and it has become essential to carry out fogging drives to combat the population growth of the mosquitoes. Pradhan said that indoor residual spraying of larvicide oil was also being carried out in various wards of the city. Larvae-eating fishes are also being released in various water bodies and surface drains.

Around 150 CMC employees have been deployed to carry out different programmes to combat mosquito menace in the city.