Mangaluru : Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim on Friday directed the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) to speed up efforts to monitor construction sites in the city, which are the major sources of breeding of mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite. He was addressing a review meeting here on Friday.

Mr. Ibrahim said that despite the use of a malaria control software (MCS) system for detection and prevention of the disease, there was still lack of efforts to destroy the sources of mosquito breeding and reduce the number of cases of malaria. He directed the officials to monitor construction sites.

It was pointed out that 1,0864 malaria cases were reported in 2015 against 11,714 cases detected in 2014 in the 60 wards of the corporation. Nearly 50 per cent of the cases were detected between September and December. As many as 1,302 cases were reported in December 2015.

Paediatrician Shantaram Baliga said the MCS system did not have the complete details of malaria breeding points at construction sites. There was no mechanism to visit construction sites and record the action taken to reduce the source of mosquito breeding there. There were no details of the number of open wells in the city and the action taken to prevent breeding of mosquitoes there.

Activist Suresh Shetty accused the MCC of not taking action against builders who had failed to take measures to destroy sources of mosquito breeding at construction sites. “Builders are not bothered about mosquito breeding,” Mr. Shetty alleged.