Amid ongoing reorganisation within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), residents across the city are bearing the brunt of a worsening mosquito menace, with vector control measures left in limbo.The situation has been aggravated by the stoppage of lake maintenance works since October, following the expiry of contracts and GHMC’s failure to renew them in time. Several lakes are now choked with horseweed and water hyacinth, turning them into ideal mosquito breeding grounds.Residents in Moosapet, Kukatpally, Malkajgiri, Attapur and Kapra report sleepless nights due to relentless mosquito bites, particularly those living close to water bodies. “Around 15,000 residents living in Rainbow Vistas Rock Garden Phases 1 and 2 and Marina Skies, located near Kamuni Cheruvu, are suffering due to the mosquito menace. Many children and elderly residents are falling sick. The lake is choked with hyacinth and stagnant water, which has multiplied mosquitos and made life miserable for us,” said T Satyanarayana Reddy, president of Rainbow Vistas Rock Garden, Moosapet.Ineffective foggingResidents from several localities said the problem has intensified over the past few weeks, forcing them to repeatedly approach GHMC officials. Fogging, they claimed, is carried out once in two or three weeks at best, offering only temporary relief, with mosquito density rising sharply after dusk.“In Malkajgiri, lakes in RK Puram, Safilguda, Kapra and East Anandbagh are heavily infested with horseweed. In our area, fogging was carried out nearly two weeks ago, while in other pockets it was done over three weeks ago. Despite repeated messages to civic authorities, there has been no effective response,” said BT Srinivas, general secretary of the United Federation of RWAs.The worsening situation has raised public health concerns, with nearly five dengue cases being reported daily in the city. GHMC data shows Hyderabad recorded over 1,700 dengue cases last year.Tenders to be floatedGHMC officials said steps are being taken to address the issue, with plans to float short-term tenders to clear lakes of weeds and waste.“Clearing horseweed and hyacinth is crucial before anti-larval operations. Fogging alone is not effective. Unless the problem is addressed at the source through desilting and weed removal, fogging will not yield results,” a senior official from GHMC’s entomology wing said.
