Anti-mosquito drive in Mumbai: Ahead of monsoon, BMC eliminates 22,000 breeding spots in 5 months

Details of the drive

This year, during a five month period between January and May 27, the BMC conducted inspections across 22,080 premises like residential complexes and slum pockets wherein it surveyed 32.51 lakh homes. In its analysis, the civic team found at least 37,800 Aedes mosquito breeding sites while the larvae of Anopheles stephensi mosquito were identified across 4,529 pockets.

As a part of its pre-monsoon drive, BMC until Thursday has fumigated over 30.17 lakh homes while larvae across 22,000 breeding spots have been cleared.

According to Ashwini Bhide, municipal commissioner, at least 1,000 staffers have been roped in for the drive to identify and survey every corner of Mumbai’s residential spaces. “During the inspection, water tanks in buildings, water pumps, water stored in plastic buckets, discarded tyres, trays under tree pots, ornamental items comprising water are being thoroughly inspected. Water from such storage points, which can become stagnant and attract mosquitoes, are being discarded,” the BMC said on Thursday.

So far, the BMC has removed 1.16 lakh discarded objects as well as 540 tires bearing the potential to become breeding sites. Across 4,000 building redevelopment sites, the BMC has also provided training to security staffers to implement anti-mosquito measures.

Between January and September last year, the city had recorded over 6,277 cases of malaria, marking a significant jump from 2024 when 5,182 cases of malaria were observed. Meanwhile, in 2025, the city also reported 2,724 cases of dengue during the period, followed by 542 chikungunya cases, 5,989 cases of gastro and 913 cases of hepatitis.