Dhaka North to continue existing ‘wrong’ method to kill mosquitos for time being: Mayor

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam on Monday termed the existing mosquito killing method wrong and said they, however, have no way to switch to better methods immediately.  

"It will take time to adopt the right mosquito-killing method. If we stop ongoing drives, the mosquito population will increase rapidly. Hence, we will continue drives using the existing [less-effective]  method for the time being," the mayor said at a press briefing organised to share the experience of his recent visit to the United States.

To determine the localised and right method and conduct advanced research for effectively killing mosquitos, the city corporation is moving to set up a research laboratory.

"We are working to establish our lab in collaboration with the Jahangirnagar University. We are also mulling whether the labs of the country's prominent universities can be utilised for the purpose," added Md Atiqul Islam, and noted that skilled manpower is needed to conduct the research.

To appoint an expert, the authorities concerned have to go through a formal procedure, which is time-consuming, he noted.

Mentioning that different drugs are required to kill mosquitos in different localities, the mayor said every ward should work to kill mosquitoes with appropriate strategies. "It requires huge manpower."

"During the US tour, we observed that they [US authorities concerned] cover all the drains. In contrast, we cover exposed drains only. The US has suggested that we apply slow-release tablets into our covered drains so that the larvae cannot accumulate. We also think that we can adopt this method," he said at the briefing, also attended by Law Minister Anisul Huq and US Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas.

Anisul Huq said Bangladesh has an excellent relationship with the United States. "Bilateral cooperation and exchange of experience between the two countries will help solve different problems. I hope the United States government will continue to cooperate with us," he added

Ambassador Peter Haas said, "The US will cooperate in the development of Dhaka city. Best practices of US cities will be shared with Dhaka."