CMC members call for intensified efforts to combat mosquito menace

Recent rains have caused the insects to spread

Qatar News Agency
Doha

A number of Central Municipal Council (CMC) members have called for the need to intensify efforts to combat mosquito menace in several areas, pointing out that despite the efforts made by municipalities to combat its spread, it is still present in many areas, especially after the recent rains, Al Raya daily reports.
and what It left behind swamps in some locations.

Members told the daily that excavations for infrastructure projects, which have become filled with rainwater, are considered the most important reason for the spread of mosquitoes. They also said the rains have created swamps in several locations.

They also called for exploring the possibility of using stronger types of pesticides that do not cause harm to health or the environment.

The Ministry of Municipality had revealed that, during the first quarter of this year, it had conducted more than 3,000 insect control spraying campaigns with 557,000 litres of pesticides used for the purpose, and used the ‘fog spraying’ technique in 152 areas, with the participation of 334 workers, using 200 machines and equipment.

Mubarak Farish, Vice President of the Central Municipal Council, told the paper that the Public Services Administration in Al-Rayyan Municipality was making great efforts in combating mosquitoes by using spraying vehicles for many locations, and there are some homes where manual spraying was used.
“It cannot be said these spraying operations have completely eliminated these insects, but have reduced their severity to a large extent, up to about 70 percent in many places,” he said.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Municipality is completely in control of the situation, and is spraying various areas periodically, but at the same time, there is a need to intensify these efforts.
Jassim Najm Al-Khulaifi, a member of CMC, said: “Eliminating these insects needs to done at their breeding sites, especially in some gardens where the weeds cause their spread.”

He noted that the most common places in his district where mosquitoes spread are the pits of infrastructure projects and rainwater manholes, adding any place where there is stagnant water is breeding ground for mosquitoes.

He noted that the process of mosquito control began before the month of Ramadan, and is still continuing, and there is continuous communication with those concerned in the municipality in this regard.

Another CMC member said that in Al Khor and Al Dhakhira, there is almost no presence of mosquitoes, and they are present in areas where there is stagnant water.