Hyderabad: For those living near the Musi River, nets, bats, coils and mosquito repellents are part of their daily life, but none of them are enough. From Gandipet to Chaderghat, to new construction extensions like Narsingi and Narsingi and Attapur, Musi’s stagnation, contaminated water has become the city’s longest mosquito nursery.
Residents talked about the balconies lost throughout the night due to the shaking, which were fevers that arrived after the first shower. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) performed atomization and larval control in isolated locations, sometimes even using drones, but these efforts disappeared and their appearance quickly disappeared. Mosquitoes stayed. The dengue season is almost here.
Syed Bilal, who lives by the river, said his family gave up trying to sit outside after 5 p.m. “In the house, it’s too hot. Outside, it’s unbearable. If we get sick, it’s an extra cost of treatment. We’re stuck.” Bharat, secretary of the Nanda apartment, described similar helplessness in Bapughat. “The kids aren’t allowed to play outside for a long time. We’ve tried everything, but nothing will change unless Musi moves.”
Despite the decline in malaria and Chikungunya cases, dengue is still surging in the monsoon month, with more than 10,000 cases reported in Telangana in 2024. Public health experts say warning signs are everywhere.
Dr. Madap Karuna, who has worked in pediatrics and preventive health for twenty years, described the current mosquitoes as a pioneer of the epidemic.
“Malaria in cities is rare nowadays, but dengue is not anywhere.
Even a few milliliters of stagnant water on a flower pot or discarded bottle cap are enough to make these mosquitoes multiply, she explained.
Dr. Karuna filed PIL in the Telangana High Court in 2019, which noted that the link between stagnation and the dengue outbreak was poor. The court then directed the government to release funds and start cleaning operations in Musi. Some drives have occurred since then, but the river continues to choke on sewage, plastic and unchecked building debris.
“Public health is not only about hospitals. It’s about surveillance, community education, early recognition and policy. If people nearby are experiencing dengue, you’re already at risk,” she said. “Eighty-five percent of cases are mild, 15% need hospitalization, and 1-2% can be fatal. The second time you reach the top is usually worse than the first time.”
In a gated community like Abhijeet Bose, moving in in Narsingi was not a good thing. “We are here to shift thinking that the environment would be better. The association does mist and spray regularly, but the proximity of the river ruins all this. There are days when we can’t even open the windows. I’ve never seen anything like that. I don’t know how people in the poorer colonies are stuck, without fog, without fog.”
Dr. Karuna advocates experts outside of prevention solutions. She suggested introducing Ganbor fish into stagnant waters, which feed on mosquitoes and are cost-effective. There are also certain plants that naturally prevent reproduction. But most importantly, she stressed that the city needs to be ongoing.
She said: “Ask people what date May 15 is. It’s National Dengue Day. Most people don’t know. Of every twenty people, only twelve or thirteen will realize how to prevent dengue. This has to change. This has to change.
