In a hurry to cope with mosquito menace in the city, the Chennai Corporation has called for expression of interest from manufacturers to facilitate distribution of free mosquito nets to poor residents living along the city’s waterways.
Lakhs of mosquito nets will soon be distributed to residents free of cost. According to a press release on Tuesday, the Corporation has invited expression of interest for manufacture of polyethylene mosquito nets, with a minimum mesh count of 156 (156 holes per square inch).
The holes in netting with this mesh count are usually neither round nor square, and may be quite irregular in shape and size.
They have a diameter of about 2 mm and provide an effective barrier to most Anopheles mosquitoes.
The nets supplied will prevent vector entry and have dimensional stability after washing. Made with strong netting materials and seams, they will retain their strength over many years and ensure safety for users.
The Corporation Council recently passed a resolution to distribute mosquito nets to residents along16 minor and major waterways including the Cooum and Adyar rivers and the Buckingham Canal.
According to health department officials, the initiative is likely to prove the most cost-effective way of battling mosquito menace in an environment-friendly manner. People who cannot afford repellents are likely to benefit from this scheme.
The move followed reports that fogging operations were not effective in tackling mosquitoes in some areas.
The civic body has been on the lookout for better technology to control the malaria-causing Anopheles and dengue-causing Aedes species of mosquitoes.
