When the memories of last year's crippling disease of chikungunya and the scourge of dengue in the capital previously are haunting people, both city corporations give the impression they are alive to the situation. People in general have reasons to take heart from the seemingly hectic preparations for facing the menaces. The pre-emptive actions are being mulled by Dhaka's two city corporations and some other bodies. They total eight government authorities entrusted with a great responsibility --- keeping the capital mosquito-free. The DNCC recently organised a view-exchange meeting in the city; while the DSCC mayor has asked the city residents to keep their house-premises clean, and free of the disease-causing mosquitoes.
The mayor has in effect referred to the Aedes vector --- responsible for dengue and chikungunya outbreaks. He also warned the home owners of punishment with fine or imprisonment if the disease-causing mosquitoes' eggs or larvae are found in their compounds. The warnings, quite expectedly, has triggered an outcry. A large section of the citizens finds the punishment threat unwarranted. Many have termed it an overkill or knee-jerk reaction. Instead of pointing finger at the Dhaka residents, the corporations ought to expand and intensify their present mosquito eradication drives. The giant dumpsters in residential areas have long been singled out as culprit. Remaining overfilled with waste containing stagnant water, these containers are known as ideal breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito.
Woefully, the dumpsters under DSCC and DNCC at many places are not replaced with the new ones regularly. Illegal garbage bins are found everywhere, especially beside roads. The two city corporations have yet to demonstrate their full-throttle activity in this regard. Beside presenting an ugly sights and spreading revolting stench, the dumpsters have long been posing potential threats to public health. The bins have widely been viewed by experts as breeding grounds of Aedes and other mosquitoes. Fogging machines have proven largely ineffective.
When it comes to mosquito menace, the sphere of actions goes far beyond mere in-city garbage disposal. This point has been brought to focus at the DNCC view-exchange. The meeting preferred to adopt a holistic approach to the long-festering problem of Dhaka. Apart from efficient garbage disposal, the participants highlighted the imperatives of reviving the capital's clogged canals, and keeping the open drains clean. The view-exchange recommended well-concerted efforts by the organisations concerned to make Dhaka free of the mosquito menace. In the massive task, coordination among the eight government bodies has no substitute. Just cleaning up of the urban municipal waste will not bear the desired fruits; it continues to be suggested by the urban experts. Before declaring Dhaka tolerably free of dengue and chikungunya, the backdrop has to be broader and inclusive of the other related factors. In this challenging job the authorities can ill afford the luxury of ignoring the water bodies across the city. They include around 50 canals, 12 lakes, 23 ponds and other water retention points. Skirting responsibility and passing the buck to one another will only aggravate the problem.