Excerpt from Impounding Water in a Bayou to Control Breeding of Malaria Mosquitoes

Of course complete drainage of surface water is the logical method of Anopheles control Where that method applies, but in the absence of a' drainage outlet, and in the presence of surface water favor able for Anopheles breeding throughout the season, other means must be given local consideration. In any consideration of drain age in the Delta it is necessary to note that the streams of this region flow away from the river, that the 's10pe of the land is from the bayou bank toward the-swamp' areas on either side, and that the fall in the bed of the bayou averages less than a foot to the mile. Under these conditions the question of drainage involves an extensive area; itis not a matter which the plantation owners can consider individually.

The idea of impounding water to suppress mosquito breeding is rather foreign to the general conception of the effect of impounded water upon mosquito production. The relation which impounded water will bear to mosquito production depends altogether upon the conditions under which the work is done and the changes brought about in comparison to the natural conditions. In. The question of impounding water in a bayou we must consider the natural character of such a stream and the relation of the stream to the roadways of the plantation and the habitations of the people who cultivate the land. The bayou bank is the logical location for the houses of the tenants and it is important to control the breeding of Anopheles in this near by source. The bayou under natural conditions favors mosquito pro duction but under impounded-conditions does not. The change in conditions is brought about by the preliminary clearing and by the provision for a permanent water level sufficiently high to suppress the growth of aquatic vegetation. Following these Operations, the maintenance of a clean margin is all important.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.