Gaya municipal corporation staff are making their own sanitiser using neem leaves, aloe vera
Bihar's Gaya Municipal Corporation has deployed two drones to sanitise residential localities, buildings and streets leading to main roads and dumps. This, it hopes, will help in combating the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
The drones have been at work twice a day since April 8, 2020, according to civic body commissioner Sawan Kumar.
Kumar added that the drones were deployed from the Gurudwara road, where a person tested positive for COVID-19 recently.
“The drones spray herbal sanitiser on streets falling on the line of Delhi, Indore and other cities,” the commissioner said.
He added that the process intrigued many, as several residents gathered on their rooftops to watch the drones.
It was initially decided that sanitiser would be brought from Haryana, according to corporation’s deputy mayor Mohan Srivastav. However, since large amount was needed, the corporation staff decided to prepare it on their own.
Kumar said the staff have been using phitkari (alum), camphor, lemon and neem leaves and aloe vera to prepare the sanitiser.
“We boil about 50 litre of water with lemon, neem leaves and aloe vera in it. We boil it till the mixture shrinks to half. Then we mix phitkari and camphor in it,” said Kumar.
He added that drones were hired from a private agency.
Most doctors and health experts have suggested that herbal sanitiser be used instead of chemical ones. A similar herbal sanitiser was reportedly used by Indore Municipal Corporation to sanitise towns.
There has been no scientific report on such concoctions succeeding against the virus SARS-CoV-2.
So far, five positive COVID-19 cases have been reported from Gaya. Bihar recorded 51 COVID-19 cases and one death as on April 9, 2020.
The Bihar government — in an unprecedented move — decided on April 7, 2020 to promote approximately 20 million students in 72,000 government-run primary and middle schools without any annual exams.
The decision was taken due to the 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The state has so far tested more than 4,000 samples. There are four COVID-19 test facilities in Bihar.
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