The two city corporations of Dhaka have called for a change in the pesticide and equipment used to control mosquitoes as the capital continues to fight a losing battle against the menace.
With crash programs and other initiatives taken against mosquitoes proving so far unsuccessful, experts are warning of a fresh dengue fever outbreak, while the chikunguniya virus continues to pose a threat.
Sources from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) disclosed that in each ward, four to six workers spray pesticide twice a day in accordance with the action plan.
But DSCC has already made a proposal requesting at least 10 workers in each ward, deeming the current numbers to be insufficient for the task, while DNCC has reached the decision to change the pesticide.
Also Read- Why are city corporations failing to tackle the mosquito problem?
“We are spraying the areas with pesticide, but controlling the situation is getting difficult,” DNCC Mayor Md Osman Gani said during the inauguration of a mosquito control program. “That is why we have decided to change the pesticide.”
Even though both city corporations use the same pesticide, DSCC currently has no plans of changing the pesticide in their area.
DSCC is focusing on replacing their equipment. A report from last year shows that DSCC has 940 apparatuses for killing mosquitoes, of which 442 are handheld, 447 are foggers, and 51 are wheelbarrow machines.
However, a total of 428 of the 940 machines were found to be dysfunctional.This article was first published on banglatribune.com
Monday, March 24, 2025
