The civic staff may conduct fogging regularly, but their labour will be futile unless residents cooperate. Fogging only destroys adult mosquitoes not the eggs or the wigglers, which grow to adulthood in a few days, and the fogging cycle begins again. Residents can help to break this cycle by regularly emptying out containers, tyres and water trays in their homes and surroundings. Most of vector borne ailments are caused by 3 types of mosquitoes and residents can easily destroy them.The aedes aegypti mosquito causes chikungunya, dengue, and zika. It bites during daytime, thrives in clean water and is found in containers, trays and tyres in our homes and vicinity. The female anopheles mosquito bites from dusk to dawn. It thrives in clean or muddy rainwater. It causes malaria. Only the culex mosquito thrives in dirty water found in drains, septic tanks and gutters. It bites at nighttime and causes filariasis. Hence it is very clear that most of mosquito borne ailments thrive in clean or nearly clean rain water puddled in our homes and surroundings. The onus of destroying them is on us. It's pointless criticizing the civic staff for everything.
ROBERT CASTELLINO, Calangute
