Mosquito larvae found in water pots kept for stray dogs, birds in upscale societies

Noida: The health department of Gautam Budh Nagar is reaching out to people to hygienically maintain the water pots kept for stray dogs and birds, after officials

Noida: The health department of Gautam Budh Nagar is reaching out to people to hygienically maintain the water pots kept for stray dogs and birds, after officials found mosquito larvae in several such pots in residential areas. Five dengue cases have been reported from the Chaprola village on the Noida-Ghaziabad border this season and in all cases, mosquito breeding points were found inside their houses itself.

HT Image

According to officials, in several residential societies, people keep water pots out for stray dogs and birds in which mosquito larvae have been found. Officials are spreading awareness on the issue to alert residents about the dangers of allowing mosquito breeding on their premises.

“It’s good to take care of stray animals, but residents also need to maintain hygiene of these utensils. People need to keep changing the water and wash the utensils to avoid mosquito breeding. Most of these spots have been found in upscale localities. Our officials are spreading awareness on the issue,” Dr Anurag Bhargawa, chief medical officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, said.

“Another fact that we have found after conducting inspection of houses of the five dengue patients was that the mosquito breeding was taking place in their own homes. Larvae was found in stored water,” Bhargawa said.

Animal rights activists also agree that mosquito breeding does take place in water pots kept for animals. “I agree with the health department officials that people don’t maintain the hygiene of utensils kept for stray dogs, which lead to mosquito breeding. Larvae present in the water can also affect the health of animals. People should take responsibility of utensils kept for dogs to avoid mosquito breeding which is important for both humans and animals,” Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj, animal rights activist and member People for Animals, said.

Recently, the department had fined the offices of the city magistrate, the assistant district election officer and the regional transport office for mosquito breeding on their premises. The department has been conducting an inspection drive wherein various societies, government offices and schools have been fined for having mosquito breeding sites.

The department has also set up cell counters in Badalpur, Bhangel, Dadri, Bisrakh, Dankaur, Dadha and Jewar where villagers can get free tests done to check the blood platelet count. Last year, the facility was available only in Bhangel, Bisrakh and Dankaur.