The GHMC has begun to experiment with oil balls for mosquito eradication in the city and to control seasonal diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.
On Friday, anti-larval oil balls were dropped in prominent lakes in the L.B.Nagar zone, to curb the growth of larvae inside the water. The lakes and water bodies covered during the drive include Mansoorabad Pedda Cheruvu, Nagole Cheruvu, Bandlaguda Cheruvu, and Ayyappa Colony nala.
The balls are made of sawdust tied tight in small pouches cut out of gunny bags. The balls are then soaked for 24 hours in drums filled with mosquito larvicidal oil (MLO), before being dropped in lakes and water bodies. After contacting the water, the oil forms a film on the surface, killing mosquitoes and larvae, thereby breaking the reproductive chain, a statement from GHMC said. As there are good results, GHMC will replicate this method across all lakes and water bodies, it said.
The corporation has already experimented with anti larval spray through drones in the lakes of Serilingampally zone. However, there is a ban on use of drones in other zones, hence, the oil ball method is resorted to.
On Thursday, GHMC let 50,000 Gambusia fish into 23 ponds specially constructed for Ganesh immersion as part of anti-larval operations. The fish consume mosquito larvae thereby stopping their growth, and multiply very fast, a statement said. The fish will increase tenfold in a month, officials said.
A survey by GHMC’s entomology wing in over a lakh houses for the past 10 days, has revealed 23,918 homes are hubs of mosquito breeding. Chemical spraying will be taken up in those homes apart from fogging twice a day, officials said.
