Rajkot, October 10 (Daily Kiran) : The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has intensified its efforts to combat mosquito-borne diseases by launching a high-tech initiative that employs drone surveillance and artificial intelligence. This campaign has successfully identified 10,333 potential mosquito breeding sites across the city’s 95.27 square kilometers.
According to the health department, field staff have already treated 5,605 of these sites with insecticides or implemented source-reduction measures. Drones have been utilized for a total of 149 hours to spray insecticides. The survey covered parts of ten municipal wards, including 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 18, and 1, from a total area of 161.85 square kilometers.
The primary goal of this initiative is to pinpoint areas prone to waterlogging and potential mosquito breeding, especially where traditional spraying methods are impractical or risky. The drone operations have effectively surveyed riverbanks, pits, ponds, and other likely breeding locations.
Health workers in the relevant wards are validating the findings and conducting necessary insecticide spraying and source-reduction actions. Alongside the drone initiative, the municipal body has also ramped up its traditional mosquito control campaigns.
Between October 1 and 7, field workers, accredited social health activists (ASHA), and multi-purpose health workers (MPHW) took measures to eliminate mosquito larvae in 103,359 households. Fogging operations were carried out in 953 homes, while vehicle-mounted fogging machines were deployed in areas with higher mosquito density, covering residential societies, public roads, and crowded places.
The health department inspected 303 non-residential premises, including construction sites, schools, hospitals, hotels, industrial units, hostels, commercial spaces, scrap yards, basements, halls, party plots, religious sites, petrol pumps, and government offices for potential mosquito breeding.
Notices were issued to 260 individuals in residential areas and 37 in commercial zones regarding mosquito breeding, along with administrative fees collected under municipal regulations. The corporation continues to monitor and prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
During the same period, health workers surveyed 247,323 residents, distributed 4,664 chlorine tablets and 889 oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets, and conducted 2,671 rapid tests.
The health department urges residents to maintain cleanliness, prevent water accumulation inside and around their homes, eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites, and cooperate with the drone survey teams. They also advise citizens to ensure the cleanliness of drinking water, boil or properly purify water before consumption, and follow health personnel’s instructions to reduce the risk of waterborne diseases.
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