Smart mosquito density system to be deployed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an effort to provide technical assistance to the city corporation and district health authorities for mosquito eradication, the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) is gearing up to deploy state-of-the-art  Smart Mosquito Density System in the state capital for the first time.
The Smart Mosquito Density System, which would operate autonomously, will help the authorities in identifying breeding grounds of mosquitoes. The SCTL is all set to tender the pilot project, which is being launched at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. 

An official said that each sensor, GSM (Global System for Mobile)-based unit would cost around Rs 2 lakh. “Local bodies in Pune and Hyderabad have successfully deployed this system. It has smart portable units that could be hung at hotspots where mosquito density is more. The fully automatic unit will help identify mosquito breeding grounds and give alerts to the authorities immediately. This assistance would help the authorities do better fumigation,” said the official. The official said that the tender would be floated within a week or two.

Optical sensors in the system will capture mosquito density, species and alert the authorities. “An Integrated Command and Control Centre at the corporation’s main office will be set up. The alert from the system will notify the centre. The authorities would be able to spray and fog the breeding grounds identified by the system,” said the official.