MOSQUITOES

FREE
URBAN
ARCHITECTURAL
PLANNING

BY

Dr. Rajan R. Patil

Epidemiologist

School of Public Health

SRM University, Chennai
Email rajanpatil@yahoo.com
Introduction:

Urban infrastructure should be environmental friendly. Inadvertant design factors in

modern architectural planning pose serious health risk to the citizen to the deadly
epidemic diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, Japanese Encephelitis,etc. This
document is conceptualized to be training material/information material for orienting not
only Architects but also to every one associated with construction business.

HOW INFORMED ARE YOU,ARCHITECT?

DID YOU KNOW THAT

Mosquitoes have been voted as one of the three most problematic issues
of Bangalore. By Bangaloreans in BATF survey..

Water is a life line for Mosquitoes

 Water is absolutely essential for Mosquito to complete its life cycle
 Mosquito lays its eggs in water
 It takes at least 8 days in water to complete life cycle in water.
 Interruption of life cycle by removing water will cause premature death of
mosquito
 Bushes and plants do not give birth to mosquitoes they only rest their.
 Mosquitoes can also breed in very clean water in our own overhead tanks
 Aware of punch line “ NO WATER NO MOSQUITO ”

ARE YOU A RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE ARCHITECT?

TO ANSWER THIS FIRST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION

ASKS YOURSElF FIRST, AM I A MOSQUITO FRIENDLY
ARCHITECT?

CHECK LIST: -

1. Does the overhead tank I designed remain only partially closed?

2. Does the interiors I surggested allows water in flower- vase, base plate of pots ?
3. Do the Garden/back yard of my cliets house is littered with scrap, tins, broken
pots, tires, etc.
4. Do the drain I designed is clogged obstructing the drain flow?
5. Have I left A ditch/puddle of water near house?.
6. Are the window shades of my clients house are trapping water due to clogged out-
let pipe ?
7. Do my client use well infrequently or don’t use or hardly use?
8. Is the septic tank’s ventilator pipe wide and open?
9. Is the fridge base tub is filled with water mosquito?

If AS AN ARCHITECT, IF I AM GUILTY OF ABOVE ACTIONS I SHOULD BE

INFORMED ABOUT THE FOLLOWING

TYPE OF MOSQUITOES – There are about 3000 types of mosquitoes in the world and
in India at least about1700 types can be found

Common among them are as following

• Anopheles, (Malaria)
• Culex, (Elephantiasis, Brain fever)
• Aedes, (Dengue)
• Armygeles

Breeding grounds of these mosquitoes can be as varied as them:

• Dirty Water, ( culexClean water, (anopheline)

• Water collected in small containers. (Aedes)
• Septic tank (armygeles)
Let’s elaborate on the breeding ground of mosquitoes to for our own
enlightenment

We have always identified Dirty water in drains near our house as responsible for the
mosquito problem in our locality we expect this fact should be part of our general
knowledge expect it to be part of anybodies Common sense.

Its true that the drain water is a favorable breeding ground for mosquitoes we always
almost instinctively blame our corporation workers for not taking enough care of our
drains?

While its true that the corporation workers are responsible proper maintenance of the
drainage system. Can we claim that we have been responsible citizens with basic
minimum civic sense?

What exactly is this civic sense?

1. Are the drains bis as waste bins by throwing house hold waste in it?
2. Do I encourage children to defecate in the drains
3. The debris of my construction to spill over into the drains?
4. Putting large slabs / stone into the drainage as bridge to cross over it?
5. Dead animals pushed into the drainage system so that is should smell?

If I am guilty of above then I am lacking in the civic sense. My above action is hindering
the free flow of drain water there by obstructing the free flow of water there by causing
the stagnation of drain water making it breeding ground for mosquitoes besides risking
other water borne diseases.

Can I help corporation authorities in helping us leave in a more sanitary environment?

Yes! Firstly I should not be doing all those activities, which shows that I lack my civic
sense.

We can show our civic responsibility by taking initiative in -:

Informing the corporation authorities about need for desilting the drains

In case due to some reasons corporation have not responded then take initiative to
mobilizing the my colony residents pool in funds to hire services for desilting privately.

Hence ensure free flow of drain water, as mosquitoes prefer stagnant

water to breed.
CLEAN WATER BREEDING: -

This is the most ignorant aspect of mosquito breeding site, how many of us know that
mosquitoes can breed in clean water. To a large extent, it’s completely a personal
responsibility of every resident in the community. The corporation has a very little role
here.

It may challenge our childhood common knowledge of mosquito breeding ground. It

might surprise us to know the following facts. But it is bitter fact that there are some
mosquitoes (anophelines), which preferentially choose clean water in our surrounding as
breeding ground.

Lets examine how we provide them an Ideal breeding ground:

We have an overhead tank, garden tanks, sumps, which we don’t bother to cover even if
we do it, is partially covered. Some of us want to show our flare of designer overhead
tanks in the shapes of car, football. Ever air plane. In his eagerness to impress the house
owner the contractor/architect forgets the fact that he is making the tank inaccessible and
difficult for regular cleaning. Worse he doesn’t provide a ladder to reach out in the tanks.

We have a well, which we don’t use regularly either because the water is not clean
enough for drinking or it is a stand- by for the water scarcity days especially during the
summer.

We have window shades, which are designed, in box shaped with a small out let pipe
that is clogged and the rainwater collects in it.

Whether we like it or not we are providing an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes
without our knowledge.

Some of us may exclaim that these overhead tanks, wells or window shades are very
essential parts of our building and are building for specific purposes, we can’t do without
them?

Yes very true, but then they are some very simple measure to prevent the mosquitoes
from breeding in them.

Lets look at these measures and options available individually and see which of these can
be adapted for our setting and convenience.

Overhead tanks/garden tanks/sumps: -

1. Change the water in the tanks at least once a week. This option is probably
the best if could be strictly adhered. Care should be taken that the tanks
should be emptied completely and left dry for atleast some time.

Of course such a simple activity also has a scientific basis to it can we guess?
Yes! We know that mosquito needs at least a week to complete its life cycle in
water .By changing the water we are in effect interrupting with its life cycle.
besides we can ensuring cleanliness of the tank.

Very often we are not able to do this regularly every week either because of
lack of time/ interest or both.

There are always other alternative options available there are: -

2. We could close the tanks in such a way that there is know way that a
mosquito doesn’t enter the tank to lay eggs.

3. We could leave guppy fishes in the tanks.

These alternative options may be unacceptable to some of us for various

reasons;

While the covering option could be objectionable for few, as it is thought that
covering the tank completely will render water in tank stale, as the air and
light can not reach water to keep it fresh although its not entirely scientifically
true but some of us do live with these fixed ideas take some time to change.

The fish option is bound to run into problem with few of our strictly
vegetarian friends, they will not approve fishes in their drinking water tanks.
Well! Due respect to their sentiments, it should respected but then they also
need to understand that fishes also have collateral benefits, as they help keep
water in the tank clean, by eating the algae and other organisms that grow in
tanks.

By the way before leaving the options on tanks lets go back

to first option and remind our selves & emphasize the fact that emptying of
tank should be total and complete leaving it to dryness is extremely essential,
mere emptying the tank may run the risk of retaining some water enough to
harbor few larva in the tank which are not completely flushed out. On this
reminder note let’s leave the tanks to take next important clean water breeding
site namely:

WELLS
Well? Oops! Not English adjective ‘well’ but water well. They could be two
types

1. Wells in use.

2. Abandoned / unused wells.

Wells that are in use, guppy fishes can be introduced in them. Other
alternative could be covering the well with mosquito net.

The best remedy for abandoned/unused well is to simply close it rater than
making it waste bin or mosquito breeder. Aah! Easier said than done. Elders
in the family will certainly not like the idea. Once again due respects to the
sentiments of our elderly, fortunately there are EPS (Expanded polystyrene
beads) available which when put on water float on the surface of the water.
Adequate quantity (about2-3 inch) on the surface of water cut off the contact
of water to the mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Suppose by chance the well was
already containing larva then? You guessed it right, they would suffocate and
die due to lack of contact with

ARTIFICIAL COLLECTION OF WATER.

These are the most intriguing amongst the mosquitogenic sources. Practically
any small collection of water could sever as breeding site

They could be discarded: -

Pots, tins, bottle in our back yards

unused tyres in our garages
Inverted drums in the garden

We may be, in our blissful ignorance, breeding the mosquitoes in our very
homes,

Possibly in,

Flower vase on table,

Money plant jars,
Defrosted water in Bottom of the refrigerators
Worse still they can be breeding in the places where they are expected least. It
could in all probability, to your dismay, in a small collection of water by the
side of the god in your very own Poona room. Camouflaging??
Amazing isn’t it? These little creatures have many an ingenious ways of
checkmating all the human efforts, partly explaining the failure of national
progamme to eliminate them.

INTERVENTION

Dispose off the discarded junks like tins, bottles, etc.

Keep containers inverted when not in use.
Puncture the unused tyres.
Change the water at least once a week in flower vase and bottom of the
refrigerator.