Have you heard of a mosquito factory? If not, read this.

I agree, we human beings have different views and diverse opinions about everything in the world. But we have a common view about one thing, i.e., mosquitoes – We hate them! Mosquitoes cause irritation and illness. Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya etc. are a nightmare to all of us.

It is reported that over 47000 dengue cases were registered in China and this has prompted them to set up a factory – Mosquito Factory at Guangdong province.

It is learnt that only female mosquitoes bite humans and spread dengue virus. (read we and mosquitoes article) So, the idea must be to reduce the population of female mosquitoes! Will family planning help?

Exactly! This is what the Chinese people implemented! “A mosquito factory was opened on July 17, 2015, and  it can produce 10 million male mosquitoes every week that are infected with Wolbachia, a bacteria that exists widely in many insects, including mosquitoes”, the report said. The mosquitoes produced at this “factory” in Guangdong province can make their female mating partners infertile. Research shows that eggs produced by mosquitoes that mated with Wolbachia-infected male counterparts are infertile. This will cause a decrease in the number of mosquitoes living in the wild after a certain period.

Scientists have managed to reduce the number of mosquitoes in some areas of the island by more than 90 percent, Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The team that invented this solution comprises of experts from several universities in China and the United States, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Male mosquitoes released on the island will survive for about two weeks, and their reproduction capacity reaches its peak within the first few days of release,” the report said

Will someone set up such a facility in India?

Maybe Yes, Maybe No. Let’s assume some private organization wants to set up such a facility –

• An Allotment of land! (land acquisition is the problem)
• Animal rights violation? (we have to be careful, killing mosquitoes or making them infertile is against nature)
• An Approval from 10 ministries of State Government and five ministries of Central Government.
• Subsidy? (electricity/ water / lower rate of interest)
• Foreign Direct Investment (Is this coming under animal husbandry? Is 100% FDI allowed? FIPB approval?)
• PIL in Supreme Court (Job to be provided to the local people)
• Is this allowed to be set up by private people? (A Special high-level committee to be formed to assess whether this can be done by private people or by Public-private partnership or reserved for Government only)
• 10% of the profits to be allocated for Corporate Social Responsibility

Suppose, the Government decides to set up a factory

• Mosquito Factories Act 2015 to be passed in the Parliament (The opposition stages protest and won’t allow the government to pass the law)
• Call for tender (Global tender) to set up a factory
• Recruitment through Competitive Exam like CAT / CET / CMT (Common Mosquito Test)
• Setting up Research Lab (to see the impact)
• Survey (Social Impact Assessment)
• An Approval from Ministry of Environment and Pollution Control Board.

The statements by the leaders

• Opposition Leader – “Our PM said he will eradicate mosquitoes but see it is biting me even now, where has he done it?” “Factory is ready, but where are the mosquitoes ”
• Experts (The English Speaking Intellectual Class – media darlings) – The report says, “Instead of producing male mosquitoes, the government has produced females”
• Another Political party will sit for dharna demanding a judicial inquiry about the misappropriation of funds in mosquito factory business.
• The Government – Acche Din for all. We are producing mosquitoes, by 2035 there won’t be a single mosquito in the country.

Thought for the day

Focus on the solution, not the problem. Ronald Reagan said, “Government is the problem, not the solution.

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