Dubai Municipality is implementing a comprehensive strategy to control fish

Residents of “Al Barsha South”: Mosquitoes are spreading abundantly and threatening our children with diseases

Residents' homes and cars are covered with large numbers of mosquitoes daily.

From the source

Residents in Al Barsha South complained that mosquitoes re-spread in their area in large numbers annually, despite their complaints to Dubai Municipality to combat it, so as not to expose them and their children to the risk of disease transmission.

They attributed the resurgence of the problem to the presence of Lake Barsha in the south in an area close to their homes, and they demanded the municipality for radical solutions to the problem.

The municipality confirmed that it is implementing an integrated strategy, represented in using several compatible and homogeneous methods to combat public health pests, and to make the use of pesticides and resorting to them a last resort.

She said control operations include the use of fish to kill mosquito larvae.

In detail, residents in the Al Barsha area in the south told Emirates Today, Hassan Al Marzouqi, Shurooq Al Taher, Faraj Abdul Karim, Claire Hartnett, Khawla Al Marzouqi, that “the mosquito problem has been going on for years, due to water accumulation in Lake Al Barsha in the south, despite complaints. Several of the municipality in this regard, and sending them to combat teams, in addition to our contracting with private companies », pointing out that« the problem is constantly renewed, and disturbs our lives and the lives of our children ».

They mentioned that specialists in combating insects confirmed that the problem will be renewed as long as the lake remains adjacent to their homes, calling on the municipality to solve the problem that haunts them, and incurring a lot of money to combat it without interest, as their cars and homes remain covered with large numbers of mosquitoes daily.

For its part, the municipality stated that it is working through specialized work teams to perform and implement the approved work plans, represented by surveys, monitoring and control of public health pests in the sites of their reproduction and spread, especially mosquitoes and midges in the watersheds, where the appropriate environment for their reproduction and spread is considered. Of the non-stinging type, explaining that "these insects do not bite and do not transmit diseases, and their life span is very short, not exceeding three to five days."

The municipality continued: “We apply the integrated control strategy, represented by the use of several compatible and homogeneous methods to combat public health pests, with the aim of reducing the use of pesticides and making resort to them limited to cases of extreme necessity only, and work is done according to specific targets related to infection rates of disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Carrying out surveys and monitoring of mosquitoes around the lakes, determining infection rates, and implementing control operations in the event that infection rates exceed these targets ».

The municipality explained that "the operations include the use of fish to control mosquito larvae, with the aim of reducing the use of pesticides, rationalizing control expenses, and maintaining the health and safety of workers, the public and the environment."

She pointed out that there is a fish breeding project in the Public Health Pest Control Department in the municipality, which annually produces 20,000 fish that are used to control mosquito larvae in water pools and irrigation ponds on farms.

This project won the "Saudi Arabia for Environmental Management in the Islamic World" award as the best environmental project.

She confirmed the formation of specialized work teams to carry out intensive campaigns to combat mosquitoes (larvae and adult insects) that transmit diseases and non-stinging midges, where the implementation is carried out using environmentally friendly and low-toxic pesticides (insect growth regulators and bacterial pesticides), and the use of fish and space spraying operations (smoking and spraying spray), In addition to the intensification of the use of modern and environmentally friendly traps, which work on their own to catch mosquitoes and midges, and get rid of them without using pesticides in the watersheds, which cause the killing of other aquatic organisms beneficial to the environment.

Pest control standards

Dubai Municipality confirmed the qualification of pest control companies operating in Dubai according to specific requirements, indicating that 160 companies are working as strategic partners to implement public health pest control operations in lakes, fountains, and groundwater pools in investment areas and real estate development areas, and in governmental, semi-governmental, commercial and non-commercial institutions and agencies. As these companies implement public health pest control operations according to specific and approved standards.

• Residents: "The problem is constantly renewed ... the reason is the presence of a lake in the area."

• Dubai Municipality: “Specialized work teams carry out intensive mosquito control campaigns.”

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