Chennai: The latest strategy of the corporation to curb mosquito menace in the city is set to take off by the first week of December.

The
civic body plans to plant Nochi plants all along the riverbanks and
several other parts of the city to reduce mosquito breeding. Biologists
are, however, not buying the corporation’s idea. They say that planting of Nochi alone will not help in curbing the population of mosquitoes. 

The
corporation will start distributing the plants to residents along
riverbanks from December. “Around six lakh plants would be planted in
parks, roads and other parts of the city. A sapling would cost around Rs
7,” sources said.

“The tree would reduce mosquito menace
in the city hugely as when a mosquito sits on a leaf of the plant it
instantly loses its ability to breed and gradually dies,” a corporation
official said.

“The leaves of
Nochi plants must be dried and burnt and the fumes would act as a
mosquito repellent,” said Professor Narasimhan, associate professor of
Botany Madras Christian College.

He added that mere
planting of Nochi along riverbanks could make the water bodies greener
but that would not serve the bigger aim. “The plant has medicinal
qualities. However it cannot succeed in destroying the mosquito
population to a great extent,” he said.

“It
would be a great relief if the plant repels the mosquitoes by itself
without any other processing,” said K. G. Elango, a second year MCA
student. “But if it has to be burnt, I would prefer a mosquito coil
which also gets rid of the winged menace.”