Choked drainage, open tanks help breed mosquitoes

BHOPAL: Dirty water leaking out and accumulating around from choked drainage pipes in many private hostels across the city, open overhead tanks that have not been cleaned for months and lack of general hygiene are leading to favourable conditions for breeding of dengue mosquitoes.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has warned of "penal action" against those involved in creating unhygienic conditions in the city.
Students are forced to live under unhygienic conditions. BMC is claiming that anti-larvae operation is being carried out, but hostel owners and students have a different story to tell.
BMC commissioner Tejaswi S Naik said, "We are coming up with an areawise plan covering most of the areas where dengue cases are reported these include hostels and other buildings. Penal action would follow in case we will find stagnant water accumulation and unhygienic conditions."
However, hostel wallahs said they keep on lodging complaints with the BMC for anti-larvae operations and clean surroundings, but in vain.
Bhopal Hostel Owners' Association president Praveen Saxena said, "BMC staff hardly show up for anti-larvae operation. Fogging machine is hardly seen anywhere. Despite several complaints they do not come for anti-larvae operations. As far as premises cleanliness is concerned, we take care of that."
Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Bhopal, Dr Pankaj Shukla said, "It is duty of hostel owner to report to us in case any breeding site is found. Our team is working and targeting individual areas from where cases are being reported."
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Devya, 19
Water accumulates in area beside our hostel mess in Rachna Nagar. It is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Spray is done once in six months, but it hardly helps.
Rajat Shrivastava, 20
We have open water tank near our hostel in MP Nagar Zone II and the tank is never cleaned. There are so many breeding sites in and around hostel. No spray or fogging is done here.
Lokendra Sharma, 20
Water tank of our hostel in Malviya Nagar is never cleaned and there is no cover on it. It serves as a perfect breeding ground for dengue larvae. Garbage is littered all around hostel.
Divya Thapa, 21
Spray is done only in hostel mess in Kasturba Nagar. The whole hostel area is full of sites where water is accumulated. No measures are being taken to control the larvae breeding.