Residents of Nehru Nagar in Kurla East have been living in mortal fear of mosquito bites. They attribute the menace to a clogged drain and claim that civic authorities have failed to get the situation under control. Abhijeet Chavan, a local, said, “Mosquitoes have been plaguing all of Nehru Nagar for the past few months. We are afraid of venturing out of our homes after sunset. We do not send children out in the evening.”

Former corporator of Nehru Nagar Kamlakar Naik said, “The prevalence of mosquitoes is due to the choked drain. We informed the L ward office of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The pest control officer of the ward visited Monday and collected samples from the Nehru Nagar nullah. The mosquito population has increased because of material floating in the drain. They are carrying out fogging in the area, but the nullah needs to be cleaned as it is the root cause of the mosquito problem.” Naik added, “Before the monsoon, nullah desilting work will start. But this should start immediately as we are suffering. Thankfully, there are no widespread dengue and malaria cases.”