Hyderabad: Dengue and other water-borne diseases are increasing in the city. Residents of Secunderabad Cantonment are upset because the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) officials have not conducted proper fogging. The officials say there is a shortage of fogging machines.
According to sources, the Cantonment area has only two fogging machines. One of these machines is not working. This means there is only one machine available to cover all eight wards. There is also no money to buy new fogging machines. Additionally, the Cantonment Board does not have a team dedicated to dealing with mosquitoes and emergencies, which is causing delays in addressing the issue.
Residents are frustrated because even though there are more water-borne diseases now, the officials have not taken enough action. They mention that during past monsoons, the situation was the same. Poor sanitation, garbage not being cleared, and drains not being cleaned properly are making things worse. Only a few areas have seen drains cleaned, which has led to an increase in mosquitoes and dengue cases.
Ramesh, a resident of Bowenpally, said, “With the recent heavy rain, water has collected in many areas, creating places for mosquitoes to breed. We have asked the SCB officials many times to do fogging, but they have not listened to us.”
Nayeem, a resident of Rasoolpura, said, “We have asked the SCB officials to spray to kill mosquito larvae in all areas, but they have not taken any action. Rasoolpura is the largest slum in the Cantonment, and cleaning the drains and fogging are very important. However, fogging has never been done here. When we ask the officials, they always say they don’t have enough fogging machines. It would be better if they sprayed for larvae before things get worse.”
T Satish Gupta, president of Vasavi Nagar, said, “We have asked the SCB officials many times to spray because there are more mosquitoes in our area now. We have to keep our windows and doors closed.”
