DSCC changes strategy to curb culex mosquito

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh yesterday said they are hopeful of controlling culex mosquitoes within the next two weeks.

"We have changed our strategy and hope that culex mosquitoes will be under control within the next two weeks," he said while talking to reporters after his visit to the Panthapath Box culvert. He also inaugurated a secondary transfer station at Panthakunja.

With the mosquito problem of Dhaka becoming more and more menacing, residents are being forced to strengthen their defenses against the insects. However, many complain that the city corporations' mosquito control measures are not effective in their areas.

On the other hand, although the city corporations are working throughout the year spraying larvicide and adulticide, stagnant waterbodies and lack of proper monitoring at field level are rendering their efforts ineffective, opined experts.

Faced with such a situation, residents of new and old wards have similar complaints and are seeking more permanent solutions from the city corporations.

Taposh said they are requesting Dhaka residents to keep some patience because they are trying to adapt to the circumstances by changing their strategies.

About the new strategy, he assured residents that more than four hours of larvicide spraying in the morning is being undertaken, while the duration of fogging in the afternoon has been increased.

Responding to a question about why they did not change their mosquito control strategy earlier, the mayor said, "Experts give many suggestions after an incident but they do not get any advise before an incident."

Taposh also said they were asked to continue Aedes mosquito management up to December. However, this turned out to be a wrong move and the city corporation should have instead started their work on culex mosquites from the onset of winter, the mayor admitted.

Taposh said they have started cleaning works on canals from January and have already cleaned 20km of canals and removed two lakh tonnes of solid waste from them. This includes the Nondipara bridge of Nondipara canal, Khilgaon-Basabo canal, Manda canal, Jirani canal and the connecting point of Segunbagicha canal.

He said it would have been better if they could have got access to the canals two months earlier.

LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam -- who visited the canals along with the DSCC mayor -- said apart from cleaning the canals, all kinds of illegal structures constructed on both sides of the canals will also be removed.

Among others, lawmaker of Dhaka-4, Syed Abu Hossain Babla; chief executive officer of DSCC ABM Amin Ullah Nuri; chief waste management officer Air Commodore Md Badrul Amin; and chief engineer of DSCC Rezaur Rahman were also present.