Double sting: 1.2 tonne mosquito bat waste generated in Bhubaneswar in nine months
BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar’s mosquito menace has a new marker - a whopping 1.5 tonne of mosquito bats used and discarded as waste in the state capital.
If the sting has been a ceaseless bad news for the denizens, the menace has created a new problem as over 1.5 tonne of mosquito bats and repellent machines are now part of the 18 tonne e-waste Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has to dispose of. It was all generated over a period of nine months from December 2024 to August this year.
The civic body recently sought quotation from authorised collection centres and recyclers to dispose of over 18 tonne of e-waste. The e-waste include approximately 1.185 tonne of racket-shaped mosquito bats as well as 427 kg of electric mosquito repellent machines, reflecting the widespread use of these devices as the civic body struggles to contain the problem.
Mosquito density in parts of the capital city was found to be alarmingly high at 82 units per man per 10 hours which is well beyond the bearable limit of 40-50. This density was recorded by the civic body during a survey in Satya Nagar area of the city in last December.
Unhygienic conditions like stagnant water and waste accumulation in and around canals, water bodies, natural drains as well as residential areas provide ideal conditions for mosquito breeding in the city. Poor bush-cutting has also been another contributing factor.
Mosquito menace has surged as one of the major challenges in the recent years. This year, the city reported at least 311 cases of dengue between January and October.
BMC authorities, however, said that the containment measures are proving helpful as dengue cases reported this year were far less compared to last year’s 1,235 cases. It claimed to have eliminated about 91,825 mosquito-breeding sites, apart from undertaking fogging operations, grass- cutting, container cleaning and other activities around the residential areas to prevent mosquito breeding.
Apart from mosquito bats, the e-waste generated in the city include about 6.5 tonne of electric wire, 4.8 tonne of electric bulb, 1.399 tonne of computer keyboards and 329 kg of chargers. Around 805 kg of electric boards, 409 kg set-up boxes and 375 kg watches are also a part of the e-scrap to be disposed of.
BMC officials said the e-waste collected from households and business establishments are brought to the e-hub at Nayapalli. The stock of around 18.82 tonne will now be disposed of.
“The collection is encouraging as people who earlier used to dump it or give it to scrap dealers are now handing over the e-waste to garbage collection vehicles,” an official from BMC sanitation wing said.