‘Mosquito Terminator’ chugs into the Capital

After ferrying passengers for over 150 years across the country, the railways will now also lend a hand in killing mosquitoes in your neighbourhood. HT reports

After ferrying passengers for over 150 years across the country, the railways will now also lend a hand in killing mosquitoes in your neighbourhood.

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The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Northern Railways have gotten together to make a hybrid of their respective technologies and have named it the Mosquito Terminator.

It is a huge MCD tanker mounted on top of a special Railways wagon. The tanker sprays larvicides in the water bodies to prevent mosquito breeding. The special wagon with its low, flat surface tweaked to host the tanker and the team of officials, will take it around the city.

“We will go to all areas along the railway tracks and target the breeding places,” said a senior Railways official. The areas covered include Chanakyapuri, Sarojini Nagar, Jal Vihar and Naraina.

The pilot drive started late in July and has run 150 km in and around Delhi. Water bodies up to a distance of 60 metres are being sanitised by this special train. The MCD says the drive will continue till November.

The officials say the service is a feat in itself. “The track in Delhi is so populated that even passenger trains have to wait. So running the service smoothly is an achievement,” said the Railways official.