CUTTACK: Inadequate mosquito control measures along with low level of fogging seems to have led to increase in mosquito menace in the city. The situation has worsened due to inadequate attention to potential breeding sites.“It is horrible both during day and night. The problem is severe indoors,” said Dilip Mohapatra, a resident of Bihari Bag near Chandini Chowk. Mahanagar Nagarika Manch convener Chittaranjan Mohanty said, “The perennial presence of water hyacinth in water bodies across the city, including the 3-km-long Petanala, water channel in Markatnagar area and the very large Kanika pond are contributing for rapid increase in mosquito population.” Health wing officials of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) said there is generally an increase in mosquito population during winter as November to January is their breeding season.The mosquito density level in the city is high at 45 to 50, said an official. Density is calculated on the basis of the number of mosquitoes caught by 10 people in an hour by using an aspirator. A mosquito density of around 30 is said to be normal, while 40 is considered moderate and any density level beyond 40 is considered as high, the official said. Health officer of the CMC Umesh Panigrahi said, “Anti-mosquito medicine fogging operations have been intensified by using for the first time one hand driven automatic machines in each of the 59 wards since December 16.”“As part of the intensified fogging operations, which will continue till January 15, one sanitation worker with one portable automatic hand driven machine have been provided to all the 59 corporators each to ensure timely fogging every day in their respective wards,” Panigrahi told TOI.The civic body’s fogging operations till December 16 was limited to the main roads of all the wards with use of only two vehicle-mounted fogging machines thrice a week. Both the vehicle-mounted machines were withdrawn after the allotment of hand-driven automatic machines.

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