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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
VICTORIA Falls Municipality has started spraying hotels and homes for mosquito control.

The municipality fast tracked the programme which started almost a month ago after hotel operators complained that the insects were causing havoc and scaring away tourists from the country’s prime destination.

Council’s Housing and Community Services director Mr Lot Siatimbula told The Chronicle yesterday that they had completed wards 4-10 while wards 1, 2, 3 and 11 were still outstanding.

He said the local authority was worried about the rate of coverage which stands at 54 percent.

“We started in the last week of September in some areas as we fast tracked the programme and we have covered Wards 4-10 with wards 1,2,3 and 11 remaining. At the moment we are in Ward 3 and we hope to round up by December 31,” said Mr Siatimbula.

He said council intends to cover 90 percent of all properties.

Last year 65 percent of properties were covered by the programme.

Residents last year blocked council teams from spraying their houses claiming the chemical-Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) that the municipality was using for indoor residual spraying wasn’t effective as mosquito’s wreaked havoc soon after spraying.

This year council is using a chemical called organophosphate, Mr Siatimbula said. — @ncubeleon.