Making mosquitoes buzz off, the natural, traditional way

Trisha Sertori, CONTRIBUTOR ,  SANUR   |  Wed, 02/18/2009 12:01 PM  |  Body & Soul

Visionary: I Made Dana, the head of Sanur Kauh village, grows the mosquito-repelling plant liligundhi to reduce numbers of mosquitoes and dengue infections in his community. JP/J.B.DJWAN

Mangy curs don’t snap at your heels in Sanur Kauh village. They are vaccinated against rabies and sleeping relaxed in the sun – too well fed to bother passersby.

The winding lanes of this village on Denpasar’s outskirts are swept clean, young trees are shooting lime-green leaves and a sense of contentment hangs in the air.

This is the hometown of community builder and visionary, I Made Dana, the head man in Sanur Kauh.

Elected twice to his role as kepala desa or village head, 54-year-old Dana is a man on a mission.

“I am developing here what we call 3K. That stands for kebersihan, kesehatan and keamanan or a clean, healthy and safe village. We are also promoting a ‘new spirit’ ideology – it’s about going green and preserving our heritage. One of the ways we are doing that is by growing and using the liligundhi tree [Vitex trifolia L] to reduce mosquitoes and dengue,” says Dana, who was awarded by Bali’s PSN, the government mosquito eradication unit, for his success in the fight against mosquito and dengue levels in his community.

Before 2006, Sanur Kauh had high levels of dengue, Dana explains. The deadly disease affects not only people’s physical health but also their ability to work, thus concentrating poverty levels.

Dana blames the rise in dengue cases from the late 1990s until 2004 on a dramatic change in land use and the associated rise in standing water.

“We used to be a farming community, then lots of houses were built. That meant a lot of stagnant water where mosquitoes breed. There was a lot of dengue here because of increased mosquito breeding grounds,” Dana says.

Around 32,000 people live in Sanur Kauh; between 2004 and 2005, 76 were infected with dengue. Figures on the disease for 2008 stand at just 13; dengue rates in the community have been slashed through the introduction of liligundhi and adherence to the 3K strategy.

“Dengue cases are going down every year. In 2007 we had 20 cases and so far, in 2009 just two,” says Dana pointing to the efficacy of the verdant liligundhi plantations throughout the community

“Here you don’t need to buy repellant. There are enough plants for everyone to help themselves to the leaves – I’ve got them planted all over the place. It’s free, take what you need,” laughs the generous-hearted Dana, who gives away liligundhi seeds to his community members, making sure everyone has the plant and its mosquito repellant properties at hand.

Sight and smell: The liligundhi tree, which has natural mosquito-repellant properties, has beautiful mauve flowers, making it an attractive and healthy garden feature. JP/J.B. DJWAN

Liligundhi leaves have been shown to be an effective mosquito repellant when the leaves are crushed, burned or powdered into incense-like cones, says Dana, who turned to ancient Balinese teachings to discover an economical way for his community to reduce its mosquito and dengue levels.

“I heard about this [liligundhi] from my great-great-grandparents – it’s an old story. Apparently during the colonial Dutch days the local people used liligundhi as a mosquito repellant. I looked into how they did this and that became part of this community’s new spirit ideology,” says Dana.

The new ideology of Sanur Kauh looks to the past to build the future, rekindling the next generation’s interest in ancient wisdom and using that knowledge to benefit the community today. Dana’s approach links the planting of liligundhi to his village’s heritage.

“It’s very easy for the young generation to forget the old ways. I hope this knowledge about the plant and techniques from the past – that everyone can access – comes back and is recognized. I suppose with liligundhi we are trying to remind the younger generation of some of those valuable techniques.”

He points out he is “not doing this for myself, but for God. God gave us this plant so I just want to look after what God gave us. It’s all about balance – God gave us mosquitoes and he gave us liligundhi to keep them away”.

Liligundhi is benefiting not only the Sanur Kauh community. Recent visitors to Dana’s liligundhi-filled garden and community were members of the Bandung and Kalimantan PKK family welfare groups, keen to learn how to introduce the plant and Sanur Kauh’s 3K strategy into their own communities. Dana also regularly has people stopping by from Jakarta, Surabaya and tourist destinations in Bali to buy his increasingly famous liligundhi incense cones.

One of these is Dr. Verly from Jakarta, who is at Dana’s home to stock up on the natural repellant for family and friends in the capital.

“These are to take home to Jakarta,” says Verly, who goes by one name only, of her purchase of nearly 100 packets of the liligundhi incense cones.

“A lot of people there know about it and as a doctor, I feel it’s really worth testing. I want to try the liligundhi because it’s natural and has no chemicals – it’s a traditional method of keeping mosquitoes away.”

She adds there are potential dangers, including cancers, associated with long-term use of chemical-based repellants – used almost daily in many parts of the dengue and malaria zone, Indonesia.

“I feel this may be safer for children and it could be more economical,” Verly says.

Nevertheless, Dana says he worries that the cones are more expensive than over-the-counter repellants, partly because of the labor involved in drying, grinding and mixing liligundhi leaves with wood shavings, rice water and cassava flour to form the cones. His solution is simple – grow liligundhi in a pot if you live in an apartment or in the garden if you have the space.

And as for those contented village dogs, they are also the results of Dana’s notions on balance: “In this community we all agreed, if you have a dog, it’s your responsibility to feed it and care for it and have it vaccinated against rabies” – Dana’s 3K in action.

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