Bengaluru: Alarmed at the rate at which malaria is spreading in the state, the government is preparing to tackle it on a war footing. While malaria was confined to Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in the past, it has now spread to eight districts of North Karnataka and sporadic cases are being reported from another 12 districts, according to Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Shalini Rajaneesh. “Malaria is now found in around 20 districts of the state and is spreading at an alarming rate,” she told reporters here.

As a precautionary measure, the government intends to bring in measures to prevent water from stagnating on construction sites and in stone quarries with the help of local bodies. “The local bodies have been asked to dump debris over stagnant water in stone quarries. Agricultural fields are also playing a major role in the breeding of the malaria mosquito,” the officer said, adding that the health department was working with all local bodies to educate people on the dangers of stagnant water, which was an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes.


Afraid that the drought could lead to an outbreak of disease caused by poor quality of tanker water supplied to people, especially in summer, the department has directed local health officials to ensure that it meets the required standards before it is delivered to consumers. “We have taken up a massive drive to ensure that only treated water is supplied for drinking,” Ms Rajaneesh said.