Dhaka, Sept 25 – Dengue has turned into epidemic across the country due to irregularities and corruptions in every stage of the two Dhaka Civic Authorities, which claimed more than two hundred people this year, said Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Wednesday.TIB said this while revealing a report titled “Challenges and Ways to Control Aedes Mosquito in Dhaka” in a press conference at the TIB conference room in capital’s Dhanmandi area.
In the press conference, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said Dhaka South City Corporation has counted 40 percent financial loss in 2018-19 fiscal year in buying mosquito insecticides at a high price.
He said there was a lack of coordination between the two city corporations in reducing Aedes mosquitoes. The South City Corporation bought medicines from the Dockyard and Engineering Works Limited, which was blacklisted by the North City Corporation. A least 40 percent money of the South City Corporation was embezzled in the process.
According to the report, the North City Corporation bought the same medicines at Tk217 from the Limit Agroproducts Ltd while the South bought the medicine at Tk378 per litre from Dockyard and Engineering Works and incurred a loss of Tk161 per litre.
“The two city corporations have no laboratories of their own and entomologists to test the effectiveness of pesticides,” added the report.
TIB researchers M Zulkarnain and Mostafa Kamal said during report presentation that the authorities concerned did not take necessary steps to control Aedes mosquito. Measures were taken on ad hoc basis and most of the steps were taken just to show off.
The report said to control dengue, environmental management, biological management, chemical control and mechanical methods are needed, but the two city corporations have given priority to chemical control only.
“According to the government health department at least 41 government and private hospitals in the capital were getting dengue patients but only the number of private hospital in the capital around 600. Besides, the health department did not record any dengue patient who took treatment at home,” the report said.
The report further said that due to the lack of coordination among the organizations involved in the mosquito eradication program, dengue was spread across the country, after that they started to fine on general people by imposing responsibility. In addition, on an average, there are only 5 mosquito repellent workers in a ward, which is very inadequate.
Depending on the size of the area, the distribution of drill workers is not distributed. Moreover, there is a shortage of staff training, the report said.
The report also said that due to the Aedes mosquito survey being concentrated only in Dhaka, no further warning could be given in other districts outside Dhaka.
Half of the 652 fogger machines in North City were damaged in the 2018. At present, some new machines have been purchased and some machines repaired in case of emergency period, but 40-45 machines are still damaged.
On the other hand, out of 940 Dhaka South City machines, 428 were damaged. Parts of most damaged machines are not available in Bangladesh, added the report.
It also added that pesticides and fogger machines of the two city corporation were sold at market without using. – Staff Reporter
