Indian Railways partners with MCD to combat mosquitos, flags off terminator train

The Northern Railway arm of the Indian Railways and Municipal Corporation Delhi has flagged off the mosquito terminator train to combat the spread during the mating season. The train will spray anti-larvae chemicals along the sides of railway tracks to supplement the prevention of the growth in numbers of mosquitoes. The step will further prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases like chikungunya fever, Japanese encephalitis, and others. The flag-off of the special train was delayed by a month. However, now it will be covering the entire Delhi NCR area to control the number of mosquitoes.

The video of the flag off of the mosquito terminator was shared by the official Twitter handle of the Delhi Division of the Northern Railway. The video shows the terminator train with a truck mounted with a power sprayer provided by MCD. The sprayer is capable of covering an area of 50 to 60 meters on both sides of the train.

मच्छर मार टर्मिनेटर ट्रेन (मॉस्क्विटो टर्मिनेटर ट्रेन) को आज नई दिल्ली रेलवे स्टेशन से हरी झंडी दिखाकर रवाना किया गया। 6 सप्ताह में कुल 12 बार यह ट्रेन चलायी जाएगी मच्छर प्रजनन के मौसम में प्रत्येक सप्ताह मे दो बार कीटनाशकों का छिड़काव किया जाएगा। pic.twitter.com/vSS286CFX9 — DRM Delhi NR (@drm_dli) September 16, 2022

The mosquito terminator train will go at a 20 kmph rate of speed. It is programmed to travel 75 kilometres per trip. Insecticides would be sprayed on the train for six weeks, up to October 22, making 12 round trips. There has also been a detailed timetable of the places that will be covered. In accordance with the plan, pesticides will be sprayed twice weekly when mosquitoes are breeding.

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The administrators chose to load the power sprayer-mounted vehicle onto an open railway carriage because of its low flat surface. Delhi has 205 dengue cases as of August 27. Additionally, there have been reports of 40 cases of malaria and 13 cases of chikungunya, respectively. These vector-borne infections have not yet been linked to any documented fatalities. Official statistics show that Delhi had 23, the most since 2016, and 9,613 dengue cases last year, the highest number since 2015.