The Dhaka University Civic Initiative will hold the “Dengue Free DU Photo Hunt” from September 20 to 25 to raise awareness about dengue, campus cleanliness and safety.
The initiative is being organized under the supervision and patronage of Md Tarikul Islam Tariq, joint general secretary of the central committee of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.
Under the theme “Find. Click. Report.”, students will identify potential Aedes mosquito breeding grounds across the campus and highlight them through photographs and information.
Long-standing stagnant water, flowerpots, abandoned materials and other waterlogged areas in residential halls, academic buildings and nearby areas will be prioritized.
Participants will have to photograph potentially risky locations and provide the location, a brief description of the problem and suggestions for keeping the area clean and risk-free in the long term.
They will then have to publish the photographs on their Facebook profiles using the designated hashtags: #FindClickReport, #DengueFreeDUCampus and #DhakaUniversityCivicInitiative.
According to the organizers, the program is a “crowdsourced campus reporting initiative” rather than solely a photography competition.
They said it will help identify potentially risky locations on campus and raise awareness about them.
Winners will be selected based on the combined number of likes, comments and shares on participants’ posts. The relevance of the photograph, significance of the problem, accuracy in identifying the location and suggestions for permanent solutions will also be considered, organizers said.
The first-, second- and third-place winners will receive Tk12,000, Tk8,000 and Tk5,000, respectively.
Participants placing fourth to 10th will receive books and tree saplings, while all participants will receive a “University Hero Certificate.”
Speaking about the initiative, Tarikul Islam Tariq said: “Dengue prevention is not solely the responsibility of the administration; students also have an important role as aware citizens. A photograph or a piece of information can often play an effective role in identifying and preventing potential risks.”
He said: “The main objective of this initiative is to develop a culture of responsibility towards the campus, environmental awareness and civic participation.”
