VMC goes ‘green’ to kill mosquito larvae

Vijayawada: The Vijaywada Municipal Corporation (

VMC

) has now decided to use

eco-friendly

products, instead of hazardous

chemical

poisons, to repel mosquitoes in the city.

The civic body has taken to a repellent named ‘Mos Free FX’ since the foul odour from chemicals is causing inconvenience to residents. Even sanitation workers are complaining about the pungent smell of the chemicals.

“Mosquito menace has become a major issue in the city and VMC special teams are carrying out fuming and spraying at drains and stagnant water to kill

larvae

. However, the harmful chemical-based repellents are posing health problems for city-dwellers and the commissioner has directed us to replace it with eco-friendly products,” said in-charge biologist Dr Rama Koteswara Rao.

The eco-friendly spray does not emit pungent smell or release fumes. 10ml of the product is needed to prepare 1 litre of effective larvae repellent, he added.

VMC commissioner Prasanna Venkatesh lauded the move and inspected the spraying at multiple locations in the city on Sunday. “VMC is concerned about the health of the locals and the staffers. Hazardous chemicals are causing health issues. That is why we are stopping the use of chemicals,” he said. “We will completely shift to this eco-friendly product after testing its efficacy,” he added.