Corporation launches smart devices to combat mosquito menace in Vijayawada

After installing a smart mosquito eliminator on a trial basis in Currency Nagar earlier this month, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) installed a smart mosquito sensor in ward number 10 last week as part of its measures to control the mosquito menace ahead of monsoon.

While these two portable machines are currently being run on a trial basis, the VMC has planned to procure seven devices soon. The smart mosquito eliminator can trap approximately 50,000 mosquitoes within a range of 50 to 100 metres and kill them, while the sensor only provides information about the gender, species and density of mosquitoes in the city.

After the sensor machine was installed last week in ward number 10, an analysis from the device revealed that the ward has mostly Anopheles mosquitoes, which causes malaria. “Their presence points to stagnation of fresh water. The identification of the gender and species of the mosquito goes a long way in bringing down the vector-borne diseases,” said VMC Chief Medical Officer of Health K. Arjuna Rao.

Presence of Culex mosquitoes, which cause filaria, would mean there is stagnation of murky water, while the third species, Aedes, which causes dengue, chikungunya, breed when there is a change in weather, the VMC official said, adding that identification of species follows corrective measures, including cleaning up of canals or drains.

“Based on the sensor data, we are identifying breeding sites in the city at present, and will devise an action plan, which will include spraying of oils using drones to control breeding, manual cleaning of canals and water bodies, and fogging,” Mr. Arjuna Rao said. He added that every ward will soon get a fogging (spraying machine) fitted with IoT-based tracking system.

One of the major breeding grounds for mosquitoes is discarded PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles in drains. To address this issue, the corporation has allowed sanitation workers to collect and sell these bottles. Each worker collects 1 kg of PET bottles in a day, with the total amounting to around 1,000 kg per day. These bottles are sold to scrap dealers at ₹15 per kg.

This is a win-win move for both the corporation and sanitation workers, as it helps in keeping the drains clean, and also gives some extra money to workers, the medical official said.