The impact of mosquito proof lids of underground tanks “tanka” on the breeding of Anopheles stephensi in a village in western Rajasthan, India

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Himmat Singh, Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, Kumar Vikram, Rekha Saxena, Amit Sharma
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2021
• Subjects: Malaria; Tankas; Western Rajasthan; Anopheles stephensi; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-021-03939-0; https://doaj.org/article/16d80a6a5d874417a3d59c3814bc2d60

Abstract Background Western Rajasthan in India has a typical desert climate. Until the introduction of the canal water irrigation system, malaria was an unstable and seasonal occurrence. Due to the scarcity of water, the community practised having one large underground tank (locally known as the tanka) in their house to collect rainwater for long-term household use. Anopheles stephensi, one of the major malaria vectors, breeds in improperly covered "tankas” if not properly covered and harbours a vector population throughout the year. Methods Two villages, Ajasar (intervention) and Tota (control), with similar ecological features, were selected for the study. A pre-intervention survey was carried out in both villages to assess the presence and quality of lids of tankas, and mosquito breeding and adult mosquito density. Awareness of the community about malaria and mosquitoes was also assessed during the pre-intervention period. In the intervention village, damaged or improper lids were replaced with improved mosquito proof polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) lids and lasted longer than the conventional lids. The fitness of the lids was assessed one year after the pre-intervention survey. The entomological assessment was carried out in both intervention and non-intervention villages. The level of community awareness about malaria, mosquitoes, their breeding places, and the role of tankas in malaria transmission was assessed both during pre- and post-intervention. Results During the pre-intervention survey, Anopheles breeding was found in 22.1% (58/262) of tankas in the intervention village and 27.1% (19/70) in tankas in the control village. Mosquito breeding was observed in the tankas with iron lids in the intervention village (48.3%) and the control village (42.1%). In the intervention village, out of 262 tankas in the village, 200 lids were replaced, resulting in the complete absence of mosquito breeding. In the pre-intervention survey conducted in May 2018, Anopheles stephensi consisted of 46% of adult mosquitoes ...