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Report
Mumbai battles mosquitoes with sustainable traps
DW (English)
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6/10/2024
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.
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00:00
They might be tiny, but mosquitoes can transmit dangerous diseases like malaria and dengue
00:08
fever.
00:09
The insects thrive in subtropical climates.
00:13
Mumbai suffers particularly from the bloodsuckers.
00:16
That's why infection rates here continue to be at a high level.
00:20
And not just during the monsoon season.
00:23
Every week, the city government's official disease surveillance team makes its rounds.
00:29
Members look for places where water stagnation can occur.
00:33
That's where female mosquitoes like to lay their eggs.
00:36
In slum areas, they keep tarpaulin on the rooftops so that it becomes a waterproofing
00:42
measure for them.
00:44
So if there is any sagging portion in the tarpaulin, the eggs will be laid in that.
00:49
The life cycle of the mosquito is egg to larva, larva to pupa, pupa to adult.
00:53
Three stages are in water.
00:54
The egg, larva and pupa are in water.
00:56
Only the adult is outside the water.
00:58
It is terrestrial or aerial, as you can call it.
01:01
So our focus in the urban areas is to control the mosquito breeding in the larval stages
01:07
itself.
01:09
The state of Maharashtra recorded a 40% increase in dengue fever cases between January and
01:16
May 2024, compared to the same period last year.
01:20
Mumbai is a mega city with 13 million populations.
01:23
Even during the daytime, we have up to 15 million because of the work-related travel
01:27
from all other places around corporations and districts which comes to Mumbai.
01:32
So, population density where the mosquito don't have to travel far to get the next
01:36
meal or the bite.
01:37
So, that's an important factor.
01:39
Another is the water sanitation conditions where a lot of people are staying in slum
01:45
and slum-like area.
01:46
And because of that, there are water storage practices and they store the water and they
01:52
keep it open.
01:54
Mosquitoes passed on the virus to the daughter of this man in the city's Dharavi district.
02:03
She was completely down and weak.
02:06
She couldn't sit up or open her eyes.
02:09
But she wasn't sleeping.
02:13
Dengue was affecting her from the inside.
02:16
To combat the infections, health workers go from house to house to identify any cases.
02:22
If someone tests positive for dengue fever, they provide treatment.
02:27
Insecticides are used to fight the mosquitoes.
02:30
But the insects are becoming ever more resistant to these.
02:34
So, there is a need for innovative alternatives.
02:37
Like these eco-bio traps.
02:39
They are made from biodegradable paper mache and work by interrupting the mosquito's breeding cycle.
02:48
You just add water to the container.
02:50
There is a sachet inside which is an attractant.
02:53
So, it attracts it to breed there.
02:56
And then there is a killing ingredient inside which ensures that those adults do not emerge
03:02
out from that.
03:03
So, the force multiplier gets reduced.
03:06
The main ingredient is a silicone oil.
03:09
The product is still in development.
03:11
But it's already being tested on mosquito populations in the Dharavi district,
03:15
which is one of the world's largest informal settlements.
03:18
One eco-bio trap covers an area of around 400 to 450 square feet.
03:24
It will last for one full month.
03:28
Rapid urbanization is the key.
03:31
Rapid urbanization is worsening Mumbai's mosquito problem.
03:35
Temporary housing, an absence of a piped water supply and a rampant rise in construction work
03:41
all provide ideal breeding conditions for the insects.
03:46
There are nearly 6000 projects going on, I mean construction as well as infra projects going on,
03:51
where water is required to be stored for curing purposes.
03:55
So, that becomes one of the major workloads for us.
03:58
We have to go and treat all these sources on a weekly basis.
04:02
Warmer temperatures as a result of climate change further encourage mosquitoes to thrive.
04:07
Health experts fear that malaria and dengue fever infection rates will stay high.
04:13
What's happening is, there is, you know, constantly rise in the temperatures.
04:16
And there is fluctuation of temperatures.
04:18
But there is no change in the temperature.
04:20
There is, you know, constantly rise in the temperatures.
04:22
And there is fluctuation of temperatures.
04:24
But there is, and also there is a lot of humidity in the air.
04:27
Now, also there is an intermittent rain, untimely rains.
04:30
So, all these factors, and then we have very close proximity to the sea.
04:34
So, these all climatic conditions, you know, they actually are very, very conducive for the growth of mosquitoes
04:41
and the breeding of the mosquito vector.
04:43
And that is why, you know, these diseases are very prevalent in the city.
04:50
Raising awareness through interactive apps like this one can also help combat the problem.
04:56
The Mumbai Against Dengue app was launched by the city's governing civic body in 2022.
05:04
The team behind EcoBioTraps believes their oil-based traps also have the potential
05:09
to play a significant role in reducing the city's mosquito populations.
05:15
In one particular trap at this point of time,
05:20
we are seeing anywhere between, you know, 1,000 to 2,000 eggs.
05:28
Now you multiply that by, you know, the 38,000 traps for an entire year
05:34
and then look at all of that spectrum.
05:36
So, that's, you know, infinity number.
05:39
EcoBioTraps are one part of Mumbai's disease control efforts.
05:43
Over the course of a year, experts will test how effective they are
05:47
in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.
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