BMC Deploys Drone To Curb Mosquito Menace In Odisha Capital

Bhubaneswar: Stepping up its drive to curb the mosquito menace plaguing Odisha capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday launched chemical spray in the city by using drone.

The move came three days after the BMC announced that it has drafted a master action plan to curb the alarmingly rising mosquito menace by making use of drones to spray chemicals in inaccessible areas of the capital city.

To begin with, the civic body deployed a drone for chemical spray in Neeladri Vihar area in the first phase of the drive against the mosquito menace, according to BMC commissioner Amruta Kulange.

Sources said 10 litres of chemical is being sprayed in one sortie in the anti-mosquito operation using drone in the inaccessible areas of the city, which cannot be accessed by fogging vehicles and spraying machines.

The aim is to target the narrow roads, lanes and by-lanes in the state capital for disinfecting mosquito hotspots.

Ahead of launching the operation, the BMC procured a drone which arrived in the city on Saturday and started operation on experimental basis from ward No-14.

In view of shortage of manpower and infrastructure, the civic body has adopted the technology to deal with growing mosquito menace.

The drone will also be deployed in inaccessible areas including abandoned plots, pools and drains.

Aaprt from using drone, the BMC plans to increase the number of vehicles engaged in fogging activity in Bhubaneswar. At the same time, additional teams will be pressed into service to cut bushes. A technical team will also survey the areas troubled by alarming rise in breeding of mosquitoes.

The BMC team will identify mosquito breeding spots in water bodies, plots, bushy areas and narrow lanes and spray the chemicals using drones, sources added.