File picture of a person spraying mosquito repellent

Cuttack, March 15: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) finds it difficult to employ staff to fight mosquito menace at the government stipulated daily wage rate of Rs 90.

It has conceded that mosquito menace had assumed unbearable proportions in the city owing to rise in the number of adult mosquitoes. The adult mosquitoes have increased allegedly because of lack of required bush cutting.

In a status report on control of mosquito menace submitted in the high court today, the CMC however claimed that the population density of mosquitoes in the city this year has been less than that of the last year.

“Massive bush cutting of at least two rounds in a year is required for reduction of resting place of adult mosquitoes. Though CMC has taken steps in this direction from August 2010, it could not be achieved because of poor supply of labourers by private agencies. Therefore, this year we were unable to go for a massive bush cutting drive. Hence, the number of adult mosquitoes have increased,” city health officer N. C. Raj pleaded in the status report.

“A special bush cutting drive is being undertaken presently utilising 30 bush cutting and de-weeding staffs of the corporation,” Raj said.

The corporation further conceded that there were many government and private waterbodies. But most of them were not being covered under the mosquito larvae killing measures because of lack of manpower.

“Some selected waterbodies have been covered in the anti-larvae measures. Huge manpower is required for de-weeding of these waterbodies. We do not find daily labourers available in the minimum wage of Rs 90 that has been stipulated by the government,” he added.

The civic authority submitted the status report in pursuance of an order issued by the high court on February 25, while hearing on civic problems in Cuttack city during the course of adjudication on PILs.

Amicus curiae P. R. Dash said the court had taken note of the mosquito menace after it was alleged that inaction on the part of the CMC and the Cuttack district medical officer had resulted in “severe mosquito menace leading to unbearable situation”.

“Things are in a mess due to lack of infrastructure and lack of inter-departmental co-operation between health and urban development departments,” Dash added.

The status report said: “For control of adult mosquito, a seasonal anti-mosquito medicine fogging operation was conducted from December 2010 to March 2011 with the help of two medium fogging machines and 20 small fogging sprayers.”

“There is also plenty availability of guppy fish in more than 50 per cent of municipal drains, which acts as natural hatchery and help in biological control of mosquito. These fishes are regularly released in surface and major drains in phases,” the report added.

Four workers had been engaged in each of the 54 wards for cleaning of floating materials in the drains to prevent choking. There are 34 employees and 20 contract workers to supervise the entire process. A total of 276 workers had been engaged to keep the drains clean and spray anti-larvae agents.

Of them, the CMC had provided 195 workers, while the rest 81 have been provided by the Cuttack unit of the National Filaria Control Programme under the chief district medical officer, the report said.