NICOSIA municipal authorities believe a sudden increase in mosquitoes is most likely from a breeding ground in the Mia Milia sewerage treatment plant.
The problem has become so serious that the municipality was yesterday forced to issue an announcement informing the public of what was being done to combat the outbreak, and outlined a series of preventive measures to limit the problem.
Municipality sanitary department head Philippos Petsas said the conclusion that the source was in Mia Milia in the occupied areas was drawn after municipality health inspectors failed to find breeding grounds in any other areas. He also said the description of the mosquitoes and the marks they left had been an indication of the mosquitos’ origin.
“We’ve received reports of large, very aggressive mosquitoes that leave the bitten person’s skin very irritated,” he said.
The irritation added to the belief that Mia Milia was to blame because “when mosquitoes breed and multiply in unclean environments, such as in sewerage, they carry bacteria”.
Athalassa, Kaimakli and Pallouriotissa residents have for the past week been complaining of an increase in mosquito activity.
Maria Ioannou, who lives in the CyBC area in Aglandja, told the Cyprus Mail it was becoming unbearable.
“My six-year-old has bites up and downs his arms his legs and neck,” she said.
The 38-year-old said she hadn’t escaped being bitten either, exposing a huge welt on her back and forearm, nor had her 12-year-old.
“The only one who hasn’t been bitten is my husband,” Ioannou said.
She wondered if the surge in mosquitoes was in any way related to the recent draining of Athalassa pond, as they had no swimming pool or stagnant pools of water.
But Nicosia mayor Michalakis Zampelas said the two incidents were unrelated and that the municipality’s sanitary department was convinced the mosquito swarms had blown across from Mia Milia.
Petsas added that the high number of mosquito bite reports was unusual and no breeding grounds had been found in the free areas.
“We had a similar problem with mosquitoes from Mia Milia in the past and we suffered with it for a while,” he said.
The municipal employee said he was still waiting for a UN official to confirm the discovery of a breeding ground at the plant in the occupied areas.
“We still need confirmation that the problem is coming from Mia Milia… Thankfully we don’t expect the problem to last long and our spraying crews have stepped up measures to spray all stagnant water and other breeding hotspots so that they are stopped from multiplying,” he said.
He said if the breeding ground was located at the treatment plant it could be because the authorities in the north had not taken the appropriate measures to spray the water, therefore making it easy for the pests to multiply.
In its announcement, the municipality advised that water containers, the covering holes of old sewerage pits and wells, as well as water tanks, be kept sealed closed, and natural predators like gambusia afflnis fish should be put in backyard ponds to prey on the eggs and female mosquitoes.
Adults should also use anti-bug spray and children should wear light clothes covering as much of their body as possible, the announcement said.
For further information contact the municipality’s sanitary department on 22-797312 or 22-797314.
