“The arrangement has been made to control the spread of these pests that can be a threat to the environment,” the general manager of environmental health at the municipality, Soliman Al-Buthi, told Arab News on Friday.
He added that the spring climate tends to exacerbate the problem. The public can call 940 to alert the municipality about any infestations.
Al-Buthi said the municipality would send out a pest-control team once a call has been received from the public. “Officials from the team will visit the affected area and initially ascertain the cause of the high concentration of mosquitoes or flies in the area.”
They will then remove the root of the problem and disinfect the whole area. There will then be no reason for the pests to multiply, he added.
The local authority has deployed 40 such teams in Riyadh, Al-Buthi said, adding that they will operate in the city over the next four weeks.
Al-Buthi said the municipality has launched the campaign to prevent the spread of the pests and called on the public to help make it a successful venture.
“Spraying pesticide alone will not solve the problem of these pests, we have to destroy its breeding base,” he said.
Flies normally breed in garbage where there is moisture and mosquitoes multiply in stagnated water found mainly in drains, tanks or abandoned containers. The official explained that mosquitoes found in Riyadh are not as harmful as those found in Dammam and Jeddah. “Because of the humidity, the mosquitoes in those regions can carry the malaria virus,” he said.
Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani said his ministry regularly organizes health awareness programs to help people in target areas understand the measures that can be taken against malaria. Al-Mirghalani said there are 14 medical centers in places badly hit by the disease.
