Three Years Mosquito Control Work in Calcutta

Abstract

It was in December 1929 that the writer first tried to reduce the terrible mosquito nuisance which each winter plagues the City of Calcutta. His efforts were naturally confined to an attempt to alleviate conditions in the Bengal-Nagpur Railway's Headquarters Colony at Garden Reach, but it soon became obvious that by control in the relatively small area of land belonging to the railway very little could be accomplished, and that to achieve anything appreciable a very much larger acreage would have to be put under control. So when in the ensuing winter of 1930–31 other property owners in the vicinity became aware that this railway was attempting to do something and evinced interest in the matter, advantage was taken of this to form the Garden Reach Anti-Malaria Association, the initiation of which also received a considerable impetus from the virulent outbreak of malaria in the previous autumn at Budge Budge, some 18 miles down-river from the City. This outbreak, and the organisation of and area covered by the Association, are described by Covell (1932).