The high prevalence of mosquitoes ahead of monsoon has become a matter of concern for the residents of Barisal city, with the prevention measures by the authorities seeming ineffective.
People are using coils, nets and swatter bats day and night, but are unable to get respite from the mosquitoes. Many city dwellers have expressed their anger, saying that if effective measures are not taken to eliminate mosquitoes before the rainy season starts, dengue will rise again.
The Barisal City Corporation (BCC) officials say they have been conducting various activities. However, only about 100 employees work on mosquito control in the city of over 500,000 people in 30 wards covering 58 sq-km.
The BCC has 10 fogger machines and about 45 manual sprayers. However, those operators do not have any formal training. They are spraying the medicines without knowing where or how to use them.
BCC Mosquito Control Department Administrative Officer Swapna Kumar Das said: "We have implemented mosquito control programs in every ward. Every day, a team in each ward works to identify mosquito larvae and destroy them using hand sprays. In the afternoon, mosquito repellent spray is applied with fogger machines.”
He said the workers have 20 to 25 years of experience, but admitted that they lack the training to identify the Aedes mosquito larvae.
He added: “There is no lab in Barisal to identify Aedes mosquito larvae. However, a letter has been sent to the Barishal Divisional Health Office requesting officers to identify mosquito larvae. But no officer has been assigned so far.”
Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital Assistant Director Dr SM Moniruzzaman said: “Everyone must use mosquito nets at home to avoid mosquito bites. In addition, everyone needs to be aware of the dangers of mosquitoes spreading around their homes, and the authorities concerned must work to eradicate them.”
Shahidul Islam, a school teacher from Ward No. 14, mentioned that the population of Aedes mosquitoes will increase when the rainy season arrives. There is also the risk of a dengue outbreak.
Zakir Hossain, a resident of Ward No. 24, says that, due to the severe mosquito menace, he and his family keep the children under mosquito nets after evening in their sixth-floor flat.
Maksuda Begum from Ward No. 26 said: "This ward is a low-lying area compared to other areas of the city. Water accumulates here throughout the year. New multi-storey buildings are being constructed amidst this."
Abdullah Khan from Nathullabad bus stand area in Ward No. 19 said: "There are tyres, abandoned tubes and machinery lying around in a neglected state. Innumerable plastic cups, water bottles, corrugated boxes, and can shells accumulate in the drains on both sides of Terminal Road. This area breeds a lot of mosquitoes.”
Tipu Sikder, a rickshaw puller from the Band Road area of the city, said: "Previously, mosquitoes appeared in the evening, but now the torment of mosquitoes is constant day and night, reaching its peak after dusk."
