South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat on Monday launched an app that will allow mosquito-control staff to effectively collect data on dengue and chikungunya.
The app will also help in organising data on 16 vulnerable areas, fines issued and fogging.
Keeping tab
Domestic Breeding Checkers (DBCs) will also be able to upload photos of mosquito-breeding sites on the app.
The civic body officials said the app would come loaded on tablets, which the DBCs would carry with them during inspections.
“The app will help in developing a micro-plan for the future and save residents from the menace of mosquitoes,” said SDMC Commissioner Dr. Puneet Goel, adding that the DBCs would be trained in operating a tablet and the app.
The municipality also distributed uniforms and ID cards to its DBCs, which will help them gain easy access to colonies for inspections.
The officials said that though the DBCs had been collecting data in paper registers since 1996, there was no plan to cover every house at fixed intervals.
Setback overcome
“The DBCs would often miss the progress of houses checked. This was a major setback, considering that mosquito larvae have to be destroyed before seven days,” Ms. Sehrawat said.
It was also suggested that women DBCs be recruited to gain easy accessibility inside houses. Since in most houses women stay alone during the day, they do not allow male DBCs to enter their houses for inspections due to safety reasons.