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Even as Ernakulam district began its massive rodent control programme as part of World Rat Catcher’s Day (July 22), tonnes of rat pesticides procured last year are rotting under various panchayat offices in the district.
The programme termed as ‘Forever Gone Rodent Control’ intends to target over 3 lakh households in the district.
The district panchayat has now given orders to the panchayats concerned to remove the rat pesticides which have long gone past their expiry dates and to replace them with new ones.
“We have given orders to the panchayats to remove the pesticides procured earlier since the old ones have all crossed their expiry date. We have been repeatedly asking the panchayats to distribute their pesticides through circulars and orders but some were too lax leading to the situation,” said panchayat president Eldose P Kunnappallil.
As per the estimates with the Kerala State Warehousing Corporation, only 48 of the total 85 panchayats in the district applied for the pesticides. Of these, 23 panchayats distributed the pesticides to the households.
“About 23 of the panchayats distributed the pesticides which we had procured and hence we got the funds reimbursed from the NRHM. But the rest of them have let the pesticides expire,” said a senior official from the Kerala State Warehousing corporation.
On an average each panchayat procures 8,000 to 10,000 packets of pesticides. This takes the figure of undistributed rat pesticides to 2,00,000- 2,50,000 packets or 10,000 kg- 12,500 kg of pesticides. Each packet is worth `8.20 as per last year’s price taking the net sum of pesticides wasted to Rs 16,40,000 - Rs 20,50,000.
But harsh as it may seem, the figure offers much consolation when one compares it with what it was this February. The pesticide procurement began last October. Since the expiry date falls three months after manufacturing, by December most of the pesticides were in the danger of getting expired. But in February alone four panchayats had distributed the pesticides.
But the district panchayat president says that even with this performance the project did show results.
“We have been able to reduce rat fever cases drastically this year. Not a single case of death due to rat fever was reported this year. Besides, after the programme was implemented, the Ward Health and Sanitation Committee funds are being utilised better than the previous years,” said the district panchayat president.
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