The operation, jointly conducted by the three municipal corporations, which seeks to reduce breeding of mosquitoes in the river and raise awareness among people, concluded today.
"We started on July 11 and as part of the operation, we used a net made of muslin to scoop out larvae from the river and then buried them under soil. It's a completely eco- friendly drive and no chemical has been used," a senior NDMC official told PTI.
"We conducted a pilot on May 13 and 14 in Civil Lines Zone and found (good) results, so we took up this project. The breeding of culex mosquito has reduced significantly. And, if we start in March from next year onwards, the effect will be even better," a senior official of the NDMC's Civil Lines Zone office said.
He said the drive was conducted from Wazirabad Barrage to Okhla Barrage.
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"While we have looked into the issue of drains as breeding region for mosquitoes, Yamuna was never really seen as a mosquito menace. So, we did this for the first time. Yamuna also has hyacinths which were proving to be an impediment, so we got that removed in the stretch we chose and results began to show in the drive," he said.
"While conducting the drive, we also raised awareness about breeding of all kinds of mosquitoes, like female anopheles (malaria) and aedes aegypti (dengue), and the preventive measures to be taken to ward off vector-borne diseases," the official said.
"An exhibition was also organised on subjects like specially-made cooler for prevention of dengue and olyset mosquito-net (long-lasting insecticidal net)," he said.
At least 50 cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital this season with 22 of these recorded this month, according to a municipal report.