The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) started releasing guppy fish in ponds, drains and water bodies in Salt Lake, Baguiati, Ashwininagar and Kestopur on Monday as they feed on mosquito larvae.
Around five lakh guppies have been released so far, sources said.
Guppies have been the Salt Lake civic body’s weapon of choice to combat dengue over the past few years.
On Tuesday, guppies were released in ponds and drains in Duttabad on the outskirts of Salt Lake and in the Eastern Drainage Canal near Jadavpur University’s second campus in Salt Lake.
A similar exercise was carried out in Baguiati and Kestopur by the councillors of the respective wards.
The State Fisheries Development Corporation (SFDC) handed over the first consignment of fish to the civic body last week. More such consignments are expected to arrive in the next few weeks, a senior civic official said.
The corporation will release guppies in open drains in Rajarhat and in the Kestopur canal from Wednesday.
Guppies can grow up to 2.4 inches and feed voraciously on mosquito larvae and microbes and live up to five years, an SFDC official said.
“Growing guppies is a proven method to destroy mosquito larvae. They don’t need much investment,” another SFDC official said.