Mosquito homes: ‘Smuggled tyres impeding govt efforts against dengue’

LAHORE:

The Punjab government will likely request the federal government to impose a ban on import of used tyres from countries that have suffered dengue fever outbreaks, a senior provincial government official said requesting anonymity.

He said provincial government’s efforts against dengue fever were unlikely to be successful unless smuggling of used tyres was controlled. A large quantity of used tyres is being smuggled into the country for a long time without any check. These, he said, were available in several markets in Lahore. Additional chief secretary Nadeem Hassan Asif said government was working on devising a strategy to ensure that the number of people affected by the fever could be minimised during the next outbreak of the virus. He said dealing with used tyres would be an important component of the strategy.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2011.