Mumbai battles mosquitoes with sustainable traps

DW (English)

Biodegradable mosquito traps could help to combat vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. Rather than repelling the insects, Eco BioTraps attract females and breaks their chain of breeding.

Transcript

00:00They might be tiny, but mosquitoes can transmit dangerous diseases like malaria and dengue

00:08fever.

00:09The insects thrive in subtropical climates.

00:13Mumbai suffers particularly from the bloodsuckers.

00:16That's why infection rates here continue to be at a high level.

00:20And not just during the monsoon season.

00:23Every week, the city government's official disease surveillance team makes its rounds.

00:29Members look for places where water stagnation can occur.

00:33That's where female mosquitoes like to lay their eggs.

00:36In slum areas, they keep tarpaulin on the rooftops so that it becomes a waterproofing

00:42measure for them.

00:44So if there is any sagging portion in the tarpaulin, the eggs will be laid in that.

00:49The life cycle of the mosquito is egg to larva, larva to pupa, pupa to adult.

00:53Three stages are in water.

00:54The egg, larva and pupa are in water.

00:56Only the adult is outside the water.

00:58It is terrestrial or aerial, as you can call it.

01:01So our focus in the urban areas is to control the mosquito breeding in the larval stages

01:07itself.

01:09The state of Maharashtra recorded a 40% increase in dengue fever cases between January and

01:16May 2024, compared to the same period last year.

01:20Mumbai is a mega city with 13 million populations.

01:23Even during the daytime, we have up to 15 million because of the work-related travel

01:27from all other places around corporations and districts which comes to Mumbai.

01:32So, population density where the mosquito don't have to travel far to get the next

01:36meal or the bite.

01:37So, that's an important factor.

01:39Another is the water sanitation conditions where a lot of people are staying in slum

01:45and slum-like area.

01:46And because of that, there are water storage practices and they store the water and they

01:52keep it open.

01:54Mosquitoes passed on the virus to the daughter of this man in the city's Dharavi district.

02:03She was completely down and weak.

02:06She couldn't sit up or open her eyes.

02:09But she wasn't sleeping.

02:13Dengue was affecting her from the inside.

02:16To combat the infections, health workers go from house to house to identify any cases.

02:22If someone tests positive for dengue fever, they provide treatment.

02:27Insecticides are used to fight the mosquitoes.

02:30But the insects are becoming ever more resistant to these.

02:34So, there is a need for innovative alternatives.

02:37Like these eco-bio traps.

02:39They are made from biodegradable paper mache and work by interrupting the mosquito's breeding cycle.

02:48You just add water to the container.

02:50There is a sachet inside which is an attractant.

02:53So, it attracts it to breed there.

02:56And then there is a killing ingredient inside which ensures that those adults do not emerge

03:02out from that.

03:03So, the force multiplier gets reduced.

03:06The main ingredient is a silicone oil.

03:09The product is still in development.

03:11But it's already being tested on mosquito populations in the Dharavi district,

03:15which is one of the world's largest informal settlements.

03:18One eco-bio trap covers an area of around 400 to 450 square feet.

03:24It will last for one full month.

03:28Rapid urbanization is the key.

03:31Rapid urbanization is worsening Mumbai's mosquito problem.

03:35Temporary housing, an absence of a piped water supply and a rampant rise in construction work

03:41all provide ideal breeding conditions for the insects.

03:46There are nearly 6000 projects going on, I mean construction as well as infra projects going on,

03:51where water is required to be stored for curing purposes.

03:55So, that becomes one of the major workloads for us.

03:58We have to go and treat all these sources on a weekly basis.

04:02Warmer temperatures as a result of climate change further encourage mosquitoes to thrive.

04:07Health experts fear that malaria and dengue fever infection rates will stay high.

04:13What's happening is, there is, you know, constantly rise in the temperatures.

04:16And there is fluctuation of temperatures.

04:18But there is no change in the temperature.

04:20There is, you know, constantly rise in the temperatures.

04:22And there is fluctuation of temperatures.

04:24But there is, and also there is a lot of humidity in the air.

04:27Now, also there is an intermittent rain, untimely rains.

04:30So, all these factors, and then we have very close proximity to the sea.

04:34So, these all climatic conditions, you know, they actually are very, very conducive for the growth of mosquitoes

04:41and the breeding of the mosquito vector.

04:43And that is why, you know, these diseases are very prevalent in the city.

04:50Raising awareness through interactive apps like this one can also help combat the problem.

04:56The Mumbai Against Dengue app was launched by the city's governing civic body in 2022.

05:04The team behind EcoBioTraps believes their oil-based traps also have the potential

05:09to play a significant role in reducing the city's mosquito populations.

05:15In one particular trap at this point of time,

05:20we are seeing anywhere between, you know, 1,000 to 2,000 eggs.

05:28Now you multiply that by, you know, the 38,000 traps for an entire year

05:34and then look at all of that spectrum.

05:36So, that's, you know, infinity number.

05:39EcoBioTraps are one part of Mumbai's disease control efforts.

05:43Over the course of a year, experts will test how effective they are

05:47in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.

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