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        For the past one month or so, the mosquito menace has been striking hard on residents of Chennai and they have been going through sleepless nights.

        With this being the case, people have been spending a lot of their money on mosquito repellants, nets and swatters to battle the onslaught of the winged creatures.

        Then, how to defeat mosquitoes and prevent public from mosquito- borne diseases?

        John William, Reader, Loyola College, School of Entomology and Centre for Natural Resources Management (SECNARM), PG and Research Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology, said, 'Now is the apt time to work, participate and pay attention to judicious use of available tools for effective mosquito control.'

        'We can make significant headway in controlling diseases by involving people, promoting their participation and creating awareness on anti-vector measures', he said.

        This seems to be easy and following the tips of John William can do wonders in defeating the public enemy, the mosquito. Some of them were: changing water in flower vase once a week, storing water in a container with tight-fitting lids, covering the vent pipe of a septic tank, levelling the surrounding land to avoid water- logging, releasing larvivorous fish in wells and ponds and removing unused tyres, broken bottles, tins and coconut shells.

        Involving the NGOs in the programme strategies would make a great difference, John said and added that informing, educating and communicating with the public would help change their habits to maintain a clean and hygienic surroundings.

        When contacted, Corporation Additional Commissioner (Health) K Manivasan said that as part of the mosquito elimination drive, the Corporation had been engaged in fogging and fumigation on water bodies.

        'Teams on motorised catamarans are spraying chemicals to destroy mosquito larvae in the waterways', he added.

        He further said the Corporation aimed to clear blockades and prevent water stagnation especially along the 800 km of stormwater drains and hence the emphasis was more on canals.

        It may be noted here that M Subramanian, soon after being sworn-in as Mayor for the second consecutive term, told journalists that fumigators and spraying machines had been purchased by the Corporation and they would be distributed to each and every ward to tackle the insect menace.

        'The Corporation would also collaborate with service organisations like Exnora to create awareness among the public for containing mosquito menace,' he added. So, there is hope at last.