Dengue prep: City government to hand out mosquito-repellent plants

Eucalyptus, marigold, basil and lemon grass plants available at 8 points.

LAHORE:

The city government has set up eight stalls where citizens can get free plants that naturally repel mosquitoes.

Citizens should plant lemon grass, basil (tulsi), marigold and eucalyptus plants in their gardens as they drive mosquitoes away, said District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin Mengal at a ceremony at the Town Hall on Thursday.

He said these plants would be available for free from stalls set up by the city government at the Town Hall, the Canal Bank Road-Jail Road intersection, Kalma Chowk, Wapda Town, Model Bazaar in Nishter Town, Sabzazar, beneath the overhead bridge at Thokar Niaz Beg, and Venus Stop on Ferozepur Road until September 15.

District Officer (Forests) Abdul Jabbar told The Express Tribune that extracts from the four plants are used in mosquito repellent lotions. He said that these plants prevent mosquitoes from breeding nearby.

He said that the city government currently had 150,000 marigold, 10,000 basil, 4,000 lemon grass and 50,000 eucalyptus plants to give away from the stalls, and could get more if needed.

Jabbar said that the plants would likely be available to citizens well past the date given by the DCO, likely up till October 15. He said that not only were the plants useful for their mosquito repellent properties, but would make gardens look good too.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2012.