Mosquitoes forcing residents of Vasai-Virar indoors after sunset

Mosquitoes are the latest cause of major concern for residents of the VasaiVirar area where the civic body claims it is spending more than R3 crore per month for fumigation spraying labour cost insecticides and fuel to eliminate breeding sitesThe Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation VVCMC has been spending R40 crore annually for fumigation and spraying chemicals to curb the mosquito menace but the situation seems to remain unchangedAs the sun sets a swarm of mosquitoes can be seen darting around at a visibly low height near residential areas It has been noted that private spaces with overgrown grass and stagnant water in drains continue to be a significant source of mosquito breeding exacerbating the problem The situation has worsened in the last week in the residential areas of VasaiVirar and NalasoparaThis trend has sparked widespread concern among local residents who are questioning whether the contractor is using effective mosquitokilling chemicals or just minting huge sums of money every monthCivic officials remove water hyacinth plants from a water bodyDeputy Commissioner for Solid Waste Management VVCMC Nanasaheb Kamthe told midday that all required measures are being taken to eradicate the breeding sites and ldquothe citizens will start to feel some relief in the next 20 daysrdquoldquoWe have been eradicating the mosquito breeding sites using machines The work is in progress at four different locations in VasaiVirar and Nalasopara areas where the machines are being used for removal of water hyacinth which generally serve as breeding sites for mosquitoesrdquo Kamthe told middayHe added that a contract has been awarded to Kiran Corporation for fumigation and spraying of insecticides at an annual cost of Rs 40 croreldquoEvery month we have been spending Rs 16 crore in insecticides Rs 128 crore in manpower admin work and R30 lakh in fuel for the eradication of mosquitoes in VasaiVirar areasrdquo he addedldquoIn total we have been spending R318 crore per month to curb the mosquito menace in the VVCMC area This must sound like a huge amount but the total area of this municipal corporation is 380 sq km and every day the work is progressing furtherrdquo said KamtheThe mosquito problem is particularly severe in localities like Global City VirarNalasopara Link Road MHADA Tirupati Nagar Bolinj Phoolpada Gokul Township in Virar Sriprastha Hanuman Nagar the vicinity near Hanuman Nagar railway station in Nalasopara West Vasant Nagari and Evershine City in Vasai EastKamthe told midday that environmental factors including stagnant water after the monsoon and climate change are among the major causes of the problem ldquoBut citizens will start witnessing a change within the next 20 days when we will remove all the water hyacinth in the area Also fumigation and spraying of chemicals are in full swing keeping ecological systems in mindrdquo Kamthe assuredResidents are facing increasing inconvenience especially at night when it becomes nearly impossible to sit outside or take an evening stroll As a result many are forced to close their windows and doors by evening often resorting to the use of batterypowered mosquito lsquozapperrsquo rackets indoors Open drains stagnant water algae buildup and overgrown bushes have been identified as major contributors to the problemThe growing risk of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes has added to the urgency Known to transmit deadly diseases such as malaria dengue chikungunya and Zika virus mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths than any other species on the planet according to various journalsRs 40crAmount civic body spends annually for mosquito management