Stacked up for days, dry leaves now a breeding ground for mosquitoes in Noida

GREATER NOIDA: With summer setting in, a lot of dry leaves have started falling, but this horticulture waste is not cleared regularly in many sectors of Greater Noida. “No sanitation work is being carried out in Sector 36. As a result, heaps of dry leaves can be seen at various spots across the sector,” said a resident, Manish Pathak.
These have become a breed- ing ground for mosquitoes. “Mosquitoes have increased in the area due to horticulture waste. There’s an immediate need to carry out fogging drives, but the Authority is not paying any heed to the issue,” said another resident of the area, Jeet Singh. Residents in Swarn Nagari have also complained of a similar problem, adding that these mosquitoes may pose a risk of an outbreak. In sectors Beta 1 and 2, sanitation workers only come when a complaint is made. “No cleaning is done of the main road in sectors Beta 1 and 2.
Heaps of dry leaves and dirt are lying everywhere. Whenever the complaint is made, the sweepers come but do not pick up the leaves. They only stack them in the corners, which remain untended thereafter. Due to this, mosquitoes have increased in the area,” said Harinder Bhati, a resident of Sector Beta 1. Further, untended silt from the drains is adding to the problems of Sector 3 residents. “The silt has been lying on the roadside for days. Apart from emanating a foul smell, it has also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” said a resident, Narendra Sharma. When TOI contacted Neeraj Singh, senior inspector of the public health department, GNIDA, he promised to address the issue. “I have directed the officials to ensure that sanitation workers visit the areas daily, and sweep the streets and pick up the leaves.”