The Times of India 10.06.2010
MCC dealing with mosquito menace
MYSORE: If the MCC's experimentation to contain growth of mosquitoes is a success, the city could notch one up in its health indicator.
The city that is rated the second most cleanest urban area in India in a nation-wide survey on Wednesday embarked on a journey to control the growth of mosquitoes.
It has now offered the fingerlings that feed on mosquit larvae to the citizens who can let them into water bodies in their localities so that diseases such as malaria, dengue and chikungunya can be contained effectively.
Mayor Sandesh Swamy formally released the larvae-eating fishes on an experimental basis at Karanji Lake. Thousands of newly-hatched fingerlings of gambusia and guppy, the two commonly known larvae-eating fish breeds are being released into Kukkarahalli, Dalvoy and Lingambudhi lakes. In about a fortnight, common carp, another variety of larvae eating fish, will be released into the lakes.
According to the mayor, the biological control of mosquitoes will be taken up as an experiment and if it is effective it will be taken up in a big way. Such a method is adopted following success at neighbouring Mandya district. The first three stages of mosquito larvae are aquatic in nature and the MCC is seeking to control their growth at the primary stage with the help of fishes. These fishes grow to a maximum of one inch. The MCC health officer Dr T S Nagaraju said these fishes are not fit for human consumption.
The civic body scheduled the drive now as it is during pre-and post-monsoon days that the mosquitoes breed owing to stagnation of water. These fish breeds the larvae of aedes aegypti that spreads dengue and chikungunya and anophelese mosquitoes responsible for malaria. According to the officials, fish fingerlings will survive since they are fast-breeders.
The fingerlings are given free of cost at the Peoples Park. An official stated that the larvae breed in stagnant water like storage tanks, wells and containers. They are also found in gutters owing to rainwater.
The city that is rated the second most cleanest urban area in India in a nation-wide survey on Wednesday embarked on a journey to control the growth of mosquitoes.
It has now offered the fingerlings that feed on mosquit larvae to the citizens who can let them into water bodies in their localities so that diseases such as malaria, dengue and chikungunya can be contained effectively.
Mayor Sandesh Swamy formally released the larvae-eating fishes on an experimental basis at Karanji Lake. Thousands of newly-hatched fingerlings of gambusia and guppy, the two commonly known larvae-eating fish breeds are being released into Kukkarahalli, Dalvoy and Lingambudhi lakes. In about a fortnight, common carp, another variety of larvae eating fish, will be released into the lakes.
According to the mayor, the biological control of mosquitoes will be taken up as an experiment and if it is effective it will be taken up in a big way. Such a method is adopted following success at neighbouring Mandya district. The first three stages of mosquito larvae are aquatic in nature and the MCC is seeking to control their growth at the primary stage with the help of fishes. These fishes grow to a maximum of one inch. The MCC health officer Dr T S Nagaraju said these fishes are not fit for human consumption.
The civic body scheduled the drive now as it is during pre-and post-monsoon days that the mosquitoes breed owing to stagnation of water. These fish breeds the larvae of aedes aegypti that spreads dengue and chikungunya and anophelese mosquitoes responsible for malaria. According to the officials, fish fingerlings will survive since they are fast-breeders.
The fingerlings are given free of cost at the Peoples Park. An official stated that the larvae breed in stagnant water like storage tanks, wells and containers. They are also found in gutters owing to rainwater.
