This monsoon, turn to ‘dengue-free’ coolers, eco-friendly larvicide

To be combat-ready for vector-borne diseases, which are at their deadliest during the monsoon, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has come up with eco-friendly dengue control measures.

Starting with the City Zone on Thursday, the civic body is propagating the use of a natural larvicide derived from the cactus plant, apart from a ‘dengue-free’ desert cooler to prevent mosquito breeding. It was during a workshop on Thursday that North Corporation Commissioner Pravin Kumar Gupta told representatives of Residents’ Welfare Associations, market associations and desert cooler manufacturers about the measures the civic body intends to take.

Further, natural extract from the plant Agave Americana, commonly called century plant, can replace harmful larvicides — including temephos, kerosene, petrol and diesel. The extract, which can be poured into the water tanks of desert coolers, works in one to eight hours, depending on the size of the tank.

The Commissioner said that the use of this extract would be expanded to all six zones in North Delhi, and that plantation of cactus would be ramped up in the Corporation’s nurseries.

The ‘dengue-free’ desert cooler, designed by the National Centre for Disease Control, has a net above the water tank to keep mosquitoes from breeding.

“The aim is to keep mosquitoes away from clean water,” said Mr. Gupta.

The civic body has asked people to adopt the eco-friendly measures, and said that it would distribute cactus extract to citizens.