Sindh Govt, KMC fail to initiate anti-dengue fumigation campaign

KARACHI: Sindh Government and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) were unable to start anti-dengue & malaria fumigation drive in Karachi city despite the lapse of almost seven months this year. 

The anti-dengue and malaria fumigation campaign could not kick off yet despite the lapse of seven months which put the lives of citizens at stake in Karachi. The dengue larva breeding has rapidly increased due to poor sanitation conditions in the city, as no concrete step has been taken yet to control the prevalence of dengue, malaria and other vector-borne diseases. 

The KMC has been unable to launch an anti-dengue fumigation campaign due to the non-supply of insecticide from the Sindh government. The staff, vehicles and machinery were available, but the Sindh government was not providing insecticide chemicals to KMC’s Municipal Services Department. 

The Sindh Malaria Control Program was bound to purchase insecticide chemicals and distribute them among districts of Sindh province as per demand. Still, the program management had not been providing insecticide chemicals to KMC for a couple of years.     

Although Prevention and Control Program for Dengue in Sindh(PCPD) is conducting fumigation in selective areas of Karachi after reporting dengue cases, the authorities concerned in KMC cannot start a fumigation drive throughout the city to control the prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases.   

The peak season of dengue is about to start in the city and will continue till December, but no anti-dengue fumigation drive has been started in any part of the city by KMC this year. The significant dengue sites are nurseries, graveyards, lakes, ponds, swimming pools, tyre shops, water pumping stations, hydrants, construction cities, and waste and garbage dumping areas.   

Sindh has registered 1100 dengue cases across the Sindh province this year, out of which 800 were recorded in Karachi alone. The majority of cases have been reported in Karachi East 325, Karachi Central 180, Tharparkar 175 and Karachi 125 South.  However, no death due to dengue has been recorded so far.