With mosquito menace curbed, fountains at T2 are back with a splash

Fountains

In good news for those who missed the water display of the fountains at T2, the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) has turned on the fountains in the facility this week.

Spraying happiness: Passengers say the fountains bring joy, and give a fresh feel to the swanky terminal. File pic

To curb the mosquito menace plaguing the swanky Terminal 2 (T2), the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) had shut all fountains at the international airport in the first week of April to prevent the insects from breeding.

Successful in controlling this nuisance, MIAL has now reopened the fountains and passengers have welcomed the decision.

"The fountains add a feeling of freshness, whether inside or outside the arrivals and departures sections. It is good that the authorities have got the water fountains functioning again," said Angana Sengupta, a flier.

Solution hunt
mid-day had reported (‘Mumbai airport's swanky T2 failing in battle against mosquitoes', April 10) that MIAL had invited agencies to find out the reason behind a large number of mosquitoes being present in T2.

Survey findings had revealed that the Mithi River and a network of gutters nearby were major breeding grounds for the mosquitoes. Piles of garbage dumped near the slums close to the airport and debris from nearby construction sites also added to the problem.

When the mosquitoes increased, MIAL came up with methods to keep a check on them. They imported machines to trap the mosquitoes, turned off all the fountains in T2, cleaned the Mithi River, fumigated the airport, and used electrical bats and mosquito repellents.

MIALspeak
"Each of the elements was focused on in detail to ensure complete waterproofing, hassle free drainage and no water logging," said an official spokesperson of MIAL.