Mumbai: Clogged Nehru Nagar nullah gives rise to mosquito menace

The heavily polluted nullah in Kurla East, on Tuesday. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Residents of Nehru Nagar in Kurla East have been living in mortal fear of mosquito bites. They attribute the menace to a clogged drain and claim that civic authorities have failed to get the situation under control. Abhijeet Chavan, a local, said, "Mosquitoes have been plaguing all of Nehru Nagar for the past few months. We are afraid of venturing out of our homes after sunset. We do not send children out in the evening."

Former corporator of Nehru Nagar Kamlakar Naik said, "The prevalence of mosquitoes is due to the choked drain. We informed the L ward office of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The pest control officer of the ward visited Monday and collected samples from the Nehru Nagar nullah. The mosquito population has increased because of material floating in the drain. They are carrying out fogging in the area, but the nullah needs to be cleaned as it is the root cause of the mosquito problem." Naik added, "Before the monsoon, nullah desilting work will start. But this should start immediately as we are suffering. Thankfully, there are no widespread dengue and malaria cases."

Abhijeet Chavan

Another resident, Santosh Salvi, said, "Our life is hell due to the mosquitoes. The BMC is carrying out fogging but this is not effective." He added, "We have had a terrible experience for the past few months. We are afraid to send our kids outside in the evening. This is a densely populated area. The BMC should tackle this issue on a war footing."

Also Read: Mumbai: 320 beautification works, cement concretisation of 52 km roads set to start, says BMC

BMC officials claim this is the breeding season of culex mosquitoes which procreate in contaminated water. An official from the pest control department said, "These mosquitoes do not spread disease. However, their bites cause irritation. If nullah water accumulates, it creates favourable conditions for breeding." The official added, "We have asked the stormwater drain department to start desilting work in the area."