E-Paper
Over 71K mosquito breeding spots detected in Pune city
The presence of over 71,000 mosquito breeding spots in the city exposes PMC’s efforts to combat the surge in cases of vector-borne diseases
Pune: With over 71,000 mosquito breeding spots detected within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, the measures taken by the civic body are proving inadequate to combat the surge in cases of vector-borne diseases.
According to PMC officials, there are as many as 33,514 permanent and 37,874 temporary mosquito breeding spots in the city. When mosquitoes breed in one location for two to three consecutive years, it is declared as permanent breeding spots. A swimming tank near Laigude Hospital, basement at Ganesh Peth and Nana Peth, craters near Abhiruchi Farm, and a closed construction site at Manik Baug are among the over 33,000 permanent mosquito breeding spots in the city.
This year, Pune city has reported 71 dengue and 5 chikungunya cases till August 31. Cases remain largely unreported from private facilities. Given the huge number of breeding spots in the city, the PMC measures are proving insufficient in containing the rising number of cases of dengue and other vector-borne diseases. The action taken by PMC is limited to issuing notices regarding the mosquito breeding spots and fining those responsible.
A PMC official on condition of anonymity said, “We have served 1,633 notices to individuals, societies and commercial establishments in and around Pune for ignoring mosquito breeding spots. Administrative charges close to ₹2.05 lakh in fines have been collected between January and August this year. The team visits locations to eliminate the breeding spot and issues notice and collects fines from the people who have failed to prevent mosquito breeding in their houses and premises.”
In the event mosquito breeding sites endanger public health at large, PMC can file cases under the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BPMC) Act of 1949, Scheduled Chapter 17, Rule number 15; and Scheduled Chapter 19. Since 2019, however, PMC has avoided taking stern action and failed to file a single case against repeat offenders.
Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant health officer, PMC, said that the health department issues notice and takes administrative charges between ₹500 and ₹2,000 for the elimination of mosquito breeding spots. “In case of repeat offenders, the administrative charges taken range between ₹5K and ₹10K. The notices are issued and sometimes, cases are filed. However, we have not filed any cases since 2019 for facilitating mosquito breeding,” he said.
As per the officials, breeding spots of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes responsible for transmitting dengue, chikungunya and Zika; Anopheles mosquitoes responsible for transmitting malaria; and Culex mosquitoes responsible for transmitting Japanese Encephalitis have been found. Breeding of larvae in the second, third and fourth stages has been eradicated in over 5,000 spots, including flowerpots, fountains, water tanks, chambers and scrap heaps.
