Letter No. 1762, dated 18th April 1913, from the Director, Bombay
Bacteriological Laboratory, Parel, Bombay, to the Personal Assistant to
the, Surgeon-General with the Government of. Bombay.
With reference to your memorandum No. B/4192, dat3d 26th March 1913,
I have the honour to submit the following remarks:—
2. I have read with very great interest Dr. Mhaskar's report on the
Stegomyia Survey of Karachi; in my opinion Dr. Mhaskar has done the work
entrusted to him with care and promptness.
3. The first five chapters of the report require no farther remarks from
me, dealing, as they do, with observed facts, so that I pass on to the 5th chapter
which is concerned with preventive measures.
4. Dr. Mhaskar does well in referring in Section I of this chapter to the
comparative simplicity of a campaign against mosquitoes in a place like
Karachi when compared with other places in India, He points out that most
of the breeding places of mosquitoes in Karachi are artificial; there are no water-
courses, the rainfall is negligible, the soil is sandy and porous, the heat of the.
sun is great so that pools of water dry quickly. But in contrast to these
natural advantages he draws vivid picture of the poverty, ignorance and care-
lessness of the people. He aptly closes this section by referring to the improve-
ments which have been affected in the water-supply of the town within
recent years and the still greater need for further improvement, especially for
a more abundant and continuous water-supply, so as to enable the people to
dispense with the use of gharras and wells which he had found were the most
common breeding places of mosquitoes and which were used and continued to
exist only because of the intermittent water-supply.
5. In Section II of this chapter he discusses the measures which are-
required to prevent multiplication of mosquitoe3. These measures aim for the
most part at the restriction, removal and protection of collections of water in
which mosquito larvae are found. He classes these collections of water into
temporary and permanent collections. Under the latter head he deals with
wells, cisterns, garden and other tanks, fountains, tubs, etc., and in certain
localities marshy ground :—
A.—He proposes in the future to restrict as far as possible these permanent
breeding places and he expects to effect this—
(1) by prohibiting the construction of open wells;
(2) by prohibiting the erection of cisterns except in special cases-
when they must be of approved pattern;
(3) by restricting the use of garden tubs by imposing a license for
their use.
B.—"With regard to the action which can be taken to remove existing
permanent collections of water, Dr. Mhaskar makes the following
suggestions:—
(1) Wells.—All foul and disused wells should be filled up and those
that must be used should be permanently covered with reinforced concrete
and a pump attached. If the owner cannot be persuaded or compelled to
protect his well in this way he should be made to stock it with fish and
keep the well clean.
(2) Cisterns.—In many cases these must be reconstructed and fixed
in more accessible positions for inspection. In all cases where they must
be used they should be properly protected from mosquitoes.
(3) Garden tanks should be licensed and subject to periodical
inspection and cleaning.
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