Corporation to test tablet to prevent mosquito breeding

According to a Corporation official, the test would be conducted along with the Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), Puducherry. “We had planned to conduct the test much earlier, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the discussions resumed to conduct the test in the city,” the official said.

The official added that the tablet, which is a diflubenzuron compound, would disrupt the life cycle of mosquitoes by preventing the larvae from reaching pupa stage. The test would ascertain the quantity of diflubenzuron tablets required for a particular amount of water.

“We have to find out how much tablets should be used without harming people’s health and what type of container to be used to store the tablets. We will shift to the new practice based on the success of the study.

This method will be easier as the residents themselves can use the tablets,” he added.

Presently, the civic body uses temephos solution to prevent the growth of mosquitoes in tanks and drums. Malaria workers of the civic body would visit the houses in the city and pour the prescribed amount of temephos solution into the tanks.

As the monsoon ended, mosquito menace has visibly increased in the city. In January itself, the civic body has received more than 450 complaints pertaining to mosquito menace. In December 2020, it received more than 950 such complaints.

The official said mosquito menace is higher in the extended zones, which are yet to get a full-fledged underground sewage system. “Mosquito breeding occurs in septic tanks. We have requested the residents to seal the pipes from the septic tanks with nets. In the Valasaravakkam zone alone, we covered such pipes with nets,” he added