Amaravati: The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Department is set to launch a pioneering ‘Smart mosquito control’ programme, leveraging Deep Technology and Artificial Intelligence to combat vector-borne diseases across the state.

The Artificial Intelligence-powered Smart Mosquito Surveillance System (SMoSS) will be rolled out on a pilot basis in 66 locations across six major municipal corporations. This initiative aims at safeguarding public health by curbing the pervasive mosquito menace, while also reducing operational burdens on civic staff and cutting costs for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

The programme will be meticulously monitored using cutting-edge Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies, including drones, sensors, heat maps and traps.

The pilot phase will soon commence in 16 locations within the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, four in Kakinada, five in Rajamahendravaram, 28 in Vijayawada, seven in Nellore and six in Kurnool.

MAUD Department Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar and Director of Municipal Administration P Sampath Kumar recently reviewed the AI-powered SMoSS, developed by a private agency, to assess its effectiveness.

As part of the pilot project, AI-powered smart mosquito sensors will be strategically installed in key mosquito-prone zones within the selected ULBs. These sophisticated sensors are designed to detect various parameters, including mosquito species, gender, density, temperature and humidity.

SMoSS will automatically trigger alerts when mosquito density surpasses a predefined threshold in any specific area. The data generated will be continuously streamed to a central server and visualised on a real-time dashboard.

”This will enable close monitoring and ensure prompt fumigation in the affected areas through a data-driven approach for effective control of mosquitoes, moving away from the current ’blind spraying’ process that often has limited impact,” stated Suresh Kumar and Sampath Kumar. They added that the IoT sensors will monitor mosquito density and guide the targeted activity.

The use of drones for spraying larvicides is expected to enhance efficiency by covering large areas with reduced chemical usage, less time, and lower costs. The core principles of this operation are evidence-based spraying, prevention of chemical overuse and promotion of public health safety.

”We will be outsourcing the operations completely to specialised agencies, and payment will be result-oriented by fixing operational accountability,” the officials confirmed. They also mentioned that complaints, if any, from citizens and field-level functionaries will be tracked via mobile applications (Vector Control and Puramitra).

Furthermore, a system is being established for daily reporting of cases related to malaria, dengue, and chikungunya from hospitals. This data will be used to identify mosquito hotspots, leading to the formulation of special action plans for scheduled fogging and larval treatment in these targeted areas.

”The entire focus and approach of SMoSS is safeguarding public health. Prevention (of diseases) through containment (of vectors) will be the driving spirit,” emphasised Suresh Kumar and Sampath Kumar.