What's the buzzword in East Delhi? Mosquitoes!

Half-covered, broken and choked drains in and around the cooperative group housing societies (CGHS) in East Delhi are open invitations to mosquitoes. In fact, residents are being forced to stay indoors in the evenings for fear of falling prey to mosquito-borne diseases.

The parks within the societies are maintained by managing committees. But the bigger neighbourhood parks, which are either maintained by East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) or Delhi Development Authority (DDA), require urgent measures to stop mosquitoes from breeding. 

But elected officials have decided to twiddle their thumbs till things get out of hand.

Purusottam Bhatt, president of United India Apartments in Mayur Vihar Phase I Extension, told City Spidey that each housing society spent nearly Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 annually on fogging. He said, “An hour’s fogging costs around Rs 2,000, and we fog our parks at least four times a month.”  

But what about the parks and areas outside the societies?

BD Mathur, a senior citizen, lamented, “We usually go to the DDA park near United India Apartments for yoga in the evenings. Even in this heat, we need to wear full-sleeved clothes and socks to protect ourselves from mosquito bites. The situation is pathetic, really!”  

Another resident said, “Vendors encroaching upon footpaths throw their daily waste into the drains, choking them further. These drains must be cleaned regularly to prevent water from stagnating.”

Cases of mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue and chikungunya, have already started to surface in the city. But surprisingly, neither the Delhi government’s health department, nor EDMC has taken up anti-breeding measures.

What is more galling for residents is that the elected public representatives, instead of doing their bit, are busy playing the blame game to reap political benefits for the municipal polls on April 23.