KMC uses drone to check on mosquito breeding grounds

KOLKATA: In a unique way of identifying mosquito breeding grounds on top of highrises in the city, the health officials of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Thursday used drone surveillance around Prince Anwar Shah Road that has a number of multi-storeyed apartments.

It is learnt that the drone was handed over to the civic body by a private organisation free of cost and the civic body took Thursday's move as a pilot project. "We have found stagnant water and garbage accumulation on roofs of some of the highrises. The verbal report has already been communicated to Mayor Sovan Chatterjee," Member Mayor in council (health) Atin Ghosh said.

It may be mentioned that it will take one or two days for the health officials to get hold of the video recordings captured by the drone and soon it will be discussed in a meeting with the Member Mayor in Council about whether the civic body will use drone in future to identify such breeding grounds on highrises. The civic officials often find it difficult to go to the top of such highrises.

If the Mayor in Council decides to accept drone as an instrument for identifying breeding grounds of mosquitoes, then the KMC will give a written proposal to the state government. The KMC has started its fight to prevent vector borne diseases right from the beginning of this year and as promised have been continuing with this throughout the year.

The formal awareness campaign will begin on January 20, 2018 when Mayor Sovan Chatterjee will lead a dengue awareness walk from the KMC gate and travel to its adjacent areas. Councillors of all the 144 wards will undertake similar awareness drives in their respective wards on the same day.

"There will be a door-to-door campaign till April and pamphlets related to dengue awareness will be given to every household," a senior official of the KMC's health department said.