They began with fogging across the city. Then they
sprayed larvicide on breeding grounds. After that came the plan to breed
engineered sterile male mosquitoes. On Tuesday, the Chennai Corporation
invited expressions of interest from companies to distribute mosquito
nets to residents.

And on Thursday, the civic body
considered yet another initiative in its long, frustrating and
challenging battle against the tiny winged carriers of disease.

This time, the plan is to go green with the distribution of herbs that repel mosquitoes.

Ever
year the Corporation spends more than Rs. 5 crore on mosquito control.
And yet, despite efforts ranging from the ordinary to the somewhat
bizarre, the menace only seems to have increased.

Officials
from various departments including the agriculture department have now
held discussions with civic body officials to identify species of herbs
that keep mosquitoes away. Once these are identified, they will be
procured by the Corporation, and all the residential properties of the
10.71 lakh buildings in the city will get these plants free of cost.

Not
only are they expected to be effective in repelling mosquitoes, they
will also serve as home decorations. Also, some of the species’ flowers
or leaves could be used by residents to extract alkaloids and tackle the
mosquito menace in their neighbourhoods, an official said.

This
step, officials said, will only be one of the many measures the
Corporation will take. Distribution of mosquito nets and fogging
operations will continue.

The herbal plants are also
expected to reduce the impact of environmental damage being caused by
fogging. “The use of insecticides or larvicides have an impact on the
health of residents and also affect the environment,” said B.M. Rex,
entomologist, Spartan Enterprises, a pest control company.

People
with wheezing problems and asthma could suffer during intense fogging
operations if the insecticide exceeds the permissible limit, he added.
The use of chemical larvicide too could be hazardous for fish as well as
the environment if used in waterways.

With these
challenges to overcome, the civic body believes it is time to go herbal.
The city’s residents though, will have to wait and see.