Open gutters and septic tanks form the main sources of mosquito breeding.
Open gutters
All cities and towns having underground drainage systems have surface open gutters for carrying storm water flow in rainy season. However, most of the cities have large unsewered areas and open gutters are used for discharge of raw or partially treated wastewater.
All these gutters form easy dumping places for solid wastes and the refuse from road as well as solid wastes from overflowing dustbins get entry into such gutters. In some cases the gutters have very little slope due to topographical limitations. All these factors lead to formation of stagnant water pools.This situation is more prominent in slum and gaonthan areas with narrow roads and no arrangement for solid waste collection.
As a result, open gutters are often found to be filled with stagnant sewage. This leads to mosquito breeding. and spread of diseases in children.
Municipal administration spends huge amounts on spreading insecticides for control of mosquito breeding. But such Mere cleaning of gutters periodically does not solve the problem as the stagnant water continues to harbor mosquito breeding life-cycle. Spreading of insecticides also do not have desired effect.
It should be noted that stagnant water is like static solid waste and needs physical lifting for its removal Hence, the only effective solution is to pump out the stagnant water at maximum 5 days interval and discharge it into nearby underground drainage chamber. Once the water is replaced before the breeding cycle can complete, there will be no generation of new mosquitoes and control of mosquitoes can be achieved without use of insecticides.
Small sewer suction vehicles with sewage pumps can be employed for this purpose. The scheduling of cleaning operations and number of vehicles needed can be worked out by fact finding survey of all open gutters and locations of nearby drainage chambers.
If such a system is adopted the the sanitation conditions in slum, gaonthan and unsewered areas will improve and mosquito nuisance can be effectively controlled.
Septic tanks
For individual apartments and bungalows, the septic tanks are generally constructed as primary treatment. In most cases such tanks are not of enough capacity, have faulty design with inlet, outlet and vent arrangements. The soak pits get flooded and as such these tanks also serve as breeding place for mosquitoes.
If inlet outlet do not have proper Tee joints or the upper tank portion has cracks the mosquitoes find entry into tank. Vent pipes often do not have fine mesh screens at top providing easy access to mosquitoes. We can observe stream of mosquitoes emerging from such vents in the evening. This can be effectively prevented if the vent pipes of such tanks are provided with fine gaze metal screen to prevent entry or exit of mosquitoes.
Thus proper design of septic tanks and soakage pits,leakage prevention, provision of all necessary accessories and regular cleaning and maintenance are necessary for control of mosquito nuisance.
Open gutters
All cities and towns having underground drainage systems have surface open gutters for carrying storm water flow in rainy season. However, most of the cities have large unsewered areas and open gutters are used for discharge of raw or partially treated wastewater.
All these gutters form easy dumping places for solid wastes and the refuse from road as well as solid wastes from overflowing dustbins get entry into such gutters. In some cases the gutters have very little slope due to topographical limitations. All these factors lead to formation of stagnant water pools.This situation is more prominent in slum and gaonthan areas with narrow roads and no arrangement for solid waste collection.
Municipal administration spends huge amounts on spreading insecticides for control of mosquito breeding. But such Mere cleaning of gutters periodically does not solve the problem as the stagnant water continues to harbor mosquito breeding life-cycle. Spreading of insecticides also do not have desired effect.
It should be noted that stagnant water is like static solid waste and needs physical lifting for its removal Hence, the only effective solution is to pump out the stagnant water at maximum 5 days interval and discharge it into nearby underground drainage chamber. Once the water is replaced before the breeding cycle can complete, there will be no generation of new mosquitoes and control of mosquitoes can be achieved without use of insecticides.
Small sewer suction vehicles with sewage pumps can be employed for this purpose. The scheduling of cleaning operations and number of vehicles needed can be worked out by fact finding survey of all open gutters and locations of nearby drainage chambers.
If such a system is adopted the the sanitation conditions in slum, gaonthan and unsewered areas will improve and mosquito nuisance can be effectively controlled.
Septic tanks
For individual apartments and bungalows, the septic tanks are generally constructed as primary treatment. In most cases such tanks are not of enough capacity, have faulty design with inlet, outlet and vent arrangements. The soak pits get flooded and as such these tanks also serve as breeding place for mosquitoes.
If inlet outlet do not have proper Tee joints or the upper tank portion has cracks the mosquitoes find entry into tank. Vent pipes often do not have fine mesh screens at top providing easy access to mosquitoes. We can observe stream of mosquitoes emerging from such vents in the evening. This can be effectively prevented if the vent pipes of such tanks are provided with fine gaze metal screen to prevent entry or exit of mosquitoes.
Thus proper design of septic tanks and soakage pits,leakage prevention, provision of all necessary accessories and regular cleaning and maintenance are necessary for control of mosquito nuisance.
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