To curb the spread of mosquito borne diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya, zika virus, Yellow fever among others, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has installed ‘Mosquito Devices’ on a pilot basis in 10 localities in the city that are prone to vector-borne diseases.
The devices will attract the mosquitoes around the 250 metres of its radius with its fragrant-but-poisonous liquid and kill them.
The species and nature of the dead mosquitoes will be examined by the staff of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and steps needed to combat the menace will be formulated accordingly.
Based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the devices are part of US-based firm Moskeet's sharing of ‘Smart Mosquito Control Management’ technology with the civic body.
A report by New India Express stated mentioned VMC in-charge biologist A Sridhar saying that a team of officials recently conducted a survey across the 59 divisions of the city to identify the density of mosquitoes and steps needed to combat the menace through installation of ‘Mosquito Devices’.
“Officials have identified ten localities where mosquito population is high. They are Vambay Colony (Block no. 118 and C block), VMC Elementary School (HB Colony), Rajiv Nagar, Bramarambapuram, Bhavanipuram, HB Colony water tank, KL Rao Nagar pump house, Rani Gari Thota and Urban Health Care Centre, Krishna Lanka,” Sridhar said.
Explaining the functioning of the ‘Mosquito Devices’, Sridhar said that the IoT-based devices will operate with support of Global Positioning System (GPS) and will be linked to a central database.
“A fragrant liquid in the device will attract and kill the mosquitoes within 250 metres radius. The technology will help detect vectors and give a count of the mosquitoes.
The data will be uploaded to Moskeet’s database and to VMC’s Command Control Room. The monitoring of mosquitoes will help the department identify the patterns and give a better understanding of mosquito population dynamics,” the report quoted Sridhar saying.
The biologist added that the severity of the mosquito menace will be decided based on the number of mosquitoes found in the devices.
“If less than 50 mosquitoes are found, then the locality is in ‘yellow’ category or safe. If the number is between 75 and 100, then the locality is in ‘orange’ category or alarming and if the number of mosquitoes is 100 or more then the locality is in ‘red’ category or dangerous,” Sridhar told the daily.
According to VMC officials, the mosquito density maps will assist government prioritise sprays. In 2017, Vijayawada had sanctioned Rs 1.55 crore for fighting mosquito menace.
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