Oil balls to wipe out the mosquito menace

Hyderabad: For the first time in Hyderabad, ‘Oil balls’ made by combining husk, sand and chemical oil, have been chosen by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), instead of anti-larvae mosquito fogging, to eradicate mosquito breeding in Langar House Lake.

As a pilot project, around 2,500 oil balls were released in Langar house Lake by GHMC Central Zone Commissioner Musharraf Ali Faruqui and Mr Kausar Mohiuddin MLA of Karwan Constituency.

“These will kill mosquitoes at the point of origin,” said Musharraf.

The Langar House Lake has become a major mosquito breeding area near Golconda, and locals have constantly raised the issue seeking solace. Musharraf said, “The polluted lake had become a mosquito hotspot and we had to destroy all the breeding spots in it. So this option was chosen.”

The chemical in these oil balls is released gradually in the water and within 15 days all the larva in the lake will be killed and all breeding spots in the lake will be destroyed at a stretch, explained Musharraf.

The officers decided to release these ‘Oil Balls’ only after noting that there was no presence of any marine species in the polluted water.

Musharraf says if they see positive results, they will replicate it at Sahatin Lake, which is another mosquito breeding place.