Kolkata Municipal Corporation is planning to use ‘destroyer’ drones to kill mosquitoes, according to a report by The Hindustan Times.
The drone will take photos of possible mosquito breeding sites, collect water samples and spray insecticides.
“The drone, named ‘Vinash,’ is equipped to collect water samples and spray insecticides. We conducted an experiment today with artificial pools created on the terrace of the civic body headquarters. The drone was also sent to the roof of an adjacent building where we don’t have access. It was successful,” Atin Ghosh, deputy mayor of Kolkata, told the newspaper.
If the water samples collected by the drones is found to contain mosquito larvae, then the drones will be redeployed to spray insecticides.
The move to deploy drones comes as the state has been witnessing an increase in dengue-related deaths. According to official figures, at least six people have died in Kolkata till Thursday and more than 3,000 people have been affected.
The drones would allow civic officials to monitor mosquito breeding sites in dilapidated and abandoned buildings, government offices, closed factories, high-rises and terraces that are locked and heritage buildings that are otherwise inaccessible.
The state started seeing a spike in dengue since October. The increasing death toll has now become a political issue for opposition parties with opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holding protests in the state capital.
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