Guppy fish to fight Chikungunya

Dhaka South City Corporation will soon discharge guppy fish into sewerage lines across the capital to clear them from mosquitoes responsible for Chikungunya.

The decision was taken as the mosquito-borne fever became endemic in Dhaka. Mayors of both north and south quarters of the city drew criticism from Dhaka residents for failing to control the situation.

Mayor Sayeed Khokon of Dhaka South released guppy fish fry into an abandoned pond on the Stamford University campus in Siddheswari on Monday.

The fish is expected to eat up the larva of Aedes mosquito, the vector of Chikungunya and dengue fever.

Fry will soon be released into the sewerage lines stretching up to 400km across Dhaka. Around 1.5 million fry will be needed for the project, he said.

Guppy belongs to the family of Poecilia Reticulata. The colourful fish is usually reared in aquariums. They are adaptable to different weather conditions and move through the upper level of water bodies.

One guppy fish can destroy up to 50 mosquito larvae in a day, said a speaker at a seminar at the university.

However, one drawback of the proposed project could be that the fish may find its way into open-water bodies as it reproduces rapidly.

In the face of heavy criticism this monsoon, Mayor Khokon started an anti-mosquito drive in July.

“No case of Chikungunya was reported in the last seven days. It means we have been successful,” said Khokon.

Outgoing Vice-Chancellor of Stamford University Prof M Feroze Ahmed presided over the seminar.