The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will for the first time use the chemical -- synthetic pyrethroid -- as a mosquito repellent.
With dengue outbreak causing a scare among nations participating in the Commonwealth Games, civic authorities are undertaking an exercise to spray a special chemical at all sports venues which will keep mosquitoes at bay for nearly three months.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will for the first time use the chemical -- synthetic pyrethroid -- as a mosquito repellent. "It will be sprayed on the walls of all rooms of the Games Village in east Delhi as well as other 21 sports or training venues in the city," MCD Public Health Committee chairman VK Monga said.
He said once sprayed, this will help keep mosquitoes at bay for nearly three months.
The civic agency is procuring the material from a Mumbai-based private company. "We have acquired sufficient quantity of the chemical and have placed orders for more. Spraying exercise has already been started," Monga said.
The chemical will also be sprayed in the main Games venue - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Pyrethroids are used for mosquito control in some south-east Asian countries as also in Turkey, South Africa and Mexico. The colourless chemical is generally considered harmless to human beings.
The authorities here are now going all-out to combat the spread of dengue, the cases of which are nearing 1100 in the city. Delhi has also reported three dengue deaths this season.
Already, 24 participating countries have sought information from the Games Organising Committee about whether the disease has acquired the form of an epidemic and steps being taken to control it. Foreign media is also extensively focussing on the increase in dengue cases.
Pyrethroids are also widely used abroad as home and garden insecticides and treatment of transport vehicles. It is generally applied as an ultra low volume (ULV) spray so that there is no adverse effect on human beings.
ULV sprayers dispense fine aerosol droplets that stay afloat and kill adult mosquitoes on contact. The product is often diluted in water or oil.
Dengue is spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and has a short incubation period -- usually two to seven days.
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