Beautification projects turn into mosquito breeding spots

Waterlogged pots along Andheri-Chakala Road, on Tuesday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The civic body, when beautifying Chakala with plants, did not have the foresight to avoid water accumulation in the pots. Consequently, the containers have become homes for breeding mosquitoes, and BMC doesn't give two hoots about the threat of an outbreak, say locals. Most pots along the Andheri-Chakala road at Chakala in Andheri East were full of rainwater for two days straight, as seen by mid-day on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Local residents and vendors in Chakala said they remove accumulated rainwater from as many pots as possible, but not all the containers are cleared out. Water sits in the pots for days, attracting mosquitoes, they complained. The BMC put these pots on the footpaths just a few months back, said Nanda Kshirsagar, a resident of Hanuman Nagar in Chakala.

BMC doesn't care

"After installing these pots, not a single BMC staff member has come to check on the plant. In the summer, most trees die, and the pots become mosquito breeding spots in the monsoon. If the BMC pokes a few more holes in the pots, water would drain out. But they are not willing," said Nanda. "We are aware that in this water malaria or dengue mosquitoes can breed. So sometimes we remove this water from pots. But it's not possible for us to remove water from all pots."

Hawkers said that they also remove the accumulated water once in a while, but the area is huge, and hence they cannot clear out all of it. "This area is full of corporate offices, and they ask us to clear out the pots. But we cannot clean all the pots on the footpath," one of the hawkers said, requesting anonymity.

Breeding chances if...

Meanwhile, an official of the BMC's insecticide department said that if water stays accumulated for a week, there is a possibility of breeding of Anopheles mosquitoes, which spreads malaria. "We have found such cases a few times in the past. Generally, soil in pots becomes hardened, water does not drain from the bottom and it accumulates on top of the soil," the official added.

Rainwater accumulates in pots as the soil hardens, along Andheri-Chakala Road, at Chakala in Andheri East, on Tuesday. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The official assured that a team from the insecticide department will visit the spot and solve the issue. "In such cases, there is a need to loosen the soil, so water can easily drain out the bottom of pots." Meanwhile, in Lower Parel, a team of the insecticide department found larvae in the pots and other places at the railway workshop, on Wednesday evening. The BMC is likely to inspect the entire workshop on Thursday, as only two departments were checked on Wednesday, sources said.