Hyderabad: In a bid to combat the mosquito menace, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will start using drones to spray chemicals on lakes and waterbodies where there is a higher chance of breeding. The civic authority said that this is an efficient way of fighting against mosquitoes, which will help limit the spread of diseases as well.
The GHMC is targeting lakes in which drain water is stagnant as its first installment of the new drone-controlled spray work. Six helicopter drones have been assigned to each zone under the municipal body. As of now, agreements are in place to work on thirty lakes and proposals have been made regarding the same on another twenty lakes.
Field workers under the guidance of the GHMC’s Entomology wing normally spray these anti-mosquito chemicals manually across all ponds and lakes, but their reach is limited. The results are insufficient and cost ineffective in comparison with flying drones used for the same, said a statement from the GHMC.
Mosquito subtypes like Mansonia, Armigeres, and Culex that cause grave damage to human health mass breed in lakes and waterbodies with high water levels and rich,dense flora and organic waste in them. “This is why by just removing carrot weed from lakes and ponds, the mosquito challenge wouldn’t suffice,’’ said the GHMC in a press note.
The new electronic flying machines can spray chemicals at the rate of 1 acre in ten minutes, thereby reaching the remotest and humanly unreachable spots. This will help save time and money for the municipal body, it claimed. The amount and combinations of the chemical sprayed is based on the norms set in place by the National Vector borne disease control, New Delhi.
“Currently, Drone spray work is taking place in dumping yards, colonies, ponds, Musi river banks, Open plots and lakes where the challenge of mass breeding is high,” added the press note.
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