Campaign launched to disinfect metropolis

Swarms of mosquitoes, flies, insects have descended since Eidul Azha

KARACHI:

A disinfectant spray campaign was launched on Monday in a bid to rid the metropolis of the swarms of flies, mosquitos and other insects that have descended on the city since Eidul Azha and the monsoon season.

"The campaign will be run regularly in every district with the assistance of the Al-Khidmat Foundation. A memorandum of understanding has also been signed with Al-Khidmat to run the spray campaign in a highly active and effective manner," said Karachi Administrator Laeeq Ahmed, speaking to the media after inaugurating the campaign.

To prevent the spread of dengue, malaria and other epidemic diseases during the monsoon season, it is necessary to spray disinfectant in the city, said Ahmed, adding that the campaign will be run in all districts of Karachi and disinfectant will be sprayed on a daily basis. He added that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Al-Khidmat Foundation will run the campaign jointly.

Ahmed said that work has been started in the South district and the campaign will be gradually rolled out in each district. The KMC has provided trained staff and 35 service vehicles with diesel and spray for this purpose, he added.

"The whole city is in the grip of the Covid-19. Citizens should be very careful to deal with this deadly virus," he cautioned. The administrator said that the fourth wave of coronavirus was taking a very dangerous turn. "We have to take precautionary measures to save our own lives as well as the lives of other citizens."

Meanwhile, Al-Khidmat Chief Executive Naveed Ali Baig said that Al-Khidmat has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the KMC for the spray campaign in the spirit of service to the city.

Al-Khidmat is an organisation that seeks to meet the needs of the city, he said, adding that after the monsoon, flies and mosquitoes breed, which leads to numerous diseases. Baig said that if civic bodies and civil society work together, better results will come out. He said that KMC is a national body and Al-Khidmat will continue to cooperate with it in various welfare projects.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2021.