MCD to go high tech. Will use drones kin Delhi to monitor anti larvae spraying

New Delhi: In the wake of rising cases of Dengue in Delhi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has decided to use drones for the purpose of monitoring of spraying of anti-larval chemicals on major drains in Delhi.

MCD officials said the tender for the procurement of drones will be floated soon and, within a month-and-a-half, the project should be on the ground.

The drones will also help in checking of mosquito larvae breeding on rooftops, etc, he said. Drones and Artificial Intelligence-based platforms will be used this year as part of a comprehensive plan to combat dengue, with focused fumigation at monument sites, hotels and markets in Delhi, which will host the G20 Summit in September.

A senior MCD official said "our plan is to make the city cleaner, safer and more vibrant" so that the visiting delegates can go back with a wonderful experience. India assumed the year-long presidency of the G20 on December 1.

The summit will take place at the newly-built Bharat Mandapam convention complex in Pragati Maidan here. The MCD said it has "envisioned a comprehensive and proactive plan to prevent dengue this year with special focus on G20 meeting venues, monuments, hotels, shopping mall, famous markets and other places of gathering of the delegates".

As part of this comprehensive plan, unmanned aerial vehicle- or drone-based vector surveillance and concurrent anti-larval spraying will be done on major drains to prevent the breeding of mosquito larvae, it had said.

Larvivorous fish will be released in water bodies to prevent mosquito larva breeding through the biological control method. Fogging will be carried out according to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme guidelines, whenever required and keeping National Green Tribunal orders in mind, in an eco-friendly manner, the MCD had said.

The MCD report on Monday said 72 malaria cases were recorded in the January 1-July 28 period. The number of dengue cases reported in July so far stood at 121, 40 in June and 23 in May. Delhi reported 169 dengue cases for the same period (January 1-July 28) in 2022, 52 in 2021, 31 in 2020, 40 in 2019 and 56 in 2018