There are several diseases spread due to mosquitos, however, the most widespread disease that is ranked “critical” by the World Health Organization (WHO) is dengue. In 2017 alone, the dengue data for India showed 157,220 cases and 250 deaths caused due to the dengue virus. These numbers are the highest ever recorded cases and deaths over the past decade.   While the stagnant water is highlighted as the primary cause that nurtures dengue carriers, more introspection would lead to other causes that are worth considering.  This article thus focuses on the other possible sources that are potential platforms for mosquito breeding. 

The first and foremost condition for dengue mosquitos to breed is stagnant water.  While such sources are available in plenty in tropical countries, the other sources include disposal of plastic wastes, used coconut shells or rubber tires.  In India the disposal of used plastic containers that are partly broken or after their useful life is disposed of in public places and may be seen collecting dust in the outskirts of any city.  This is not only plastic containers but also worn out rubber tires that are disposed in public lands bordering the city limits.  In addition, the used coconut shells are also disposed of in open areas.  While during dry seasons these sources do not form ideal hot-spots for mosquitos to breed but during the wet seasons, these are filled with water that stagnate over months.  These form ideal locations for dengue carriers to establish a base.   Especially the non-degradable wastes such as plastic containers or rubber tires remain in the open for a very long time causing environmental pollution as well as potential hotspots for aiding the spread of the disease. 

Efforts to clean or segregate these wastes from the local municipality have consistently failed over the years and this has reached a practical limit where no one including the citizens are really concerned about the effects due to such incorrect waste disposal.  While there no incentives for clearing such wastes, clearly the expectations are set in the minds of people who live in surrounding areas as, “what is in it for me” and if there are no monetary benefits, these options are doomed to fail.  But as the rain sets in and in a few months the newspapers all talk about dengue cases which have started to grow rather uncontrollably in recent years.  Especially in the year 2017, the data shows a steep increase in the number of incidents. 

A proper recycling mechanism is an apt solution in such circumstances since this brings along with the discipline in waste disposal many other benefits such as preventing the spread of diseases.   This is a huge benefit to the society that is not prepared to face the epidemic in the first place.  Presently there are no dengue vaccines in India.  Far from reality, even if these vaccines are available in India, it would be practically impossible for the government to cover the entire nation from a cost perspective.  While prevention is better than cure, such lessons don’t see the light of the day as people get on with their lives and the focus is on sustaining everyday life as opposed to thinking what is best for their future. 

Adherence or commitment to proper waste disposal is not a distraction per se, but this is generally viewed as someone else’s job. And hence these practices have managed to deeply corrupt the civic sense of the public.  So, what can be done?  Well, the foundation to all such issues is awareness and education.  That would be the right starting point.  Practically all schools should have waste disposal as a part of their daily lessons and unless this becomes a daily routine (similar to a ritual !), these lessons are transient and will only see limited success. Effort from every citizen counts as this could help avert the spread of dengue epidemic in the country.