DNCC: Deceased person listed among mosquito control workers

The work schedule for mosquito eradication control workers is available on the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) website. The list, titled “Mosquito Eradication Work Plan,” includes the names and responsibilities of workers assigned to Ward No. 2 (Mirpur).

The eighth name on that list is Afar Ali, a mosquito control worker. According to the schedule, he is supposed to work every Monday and Thursday on Roads 1 to 5 of the Sagufata Residential Area in Mirpur, as well as in the Beguntila slum area. The assigned working hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Yesterday, Thursday, around 9:00 a.m., this reporter visited the Sagufata area. Despite searching the designated roads for nearly 45 minutes, no mosquito control worker was seen.The DNCC website also provides the mobile phone number of mosquito control worker Afar Ali. This reporter called the number several times, but it was found switched off.

Later, the reporter went to the Swapnanagar Residential Area, a short distance from Sagufata. There, near a building, a worker engaged in mosquito control activities was seen, but he was not spraying any insecticide at the time. Shortly afterward, he was seen leaving on a motorcycle with another person. The reporter then introduced himself and spoke with the worker and the driver.

The motorcycle rider identified himself as Rakibul Alam Khan, the mosquito control supervisor of Ward No. 2. The worker accompanying him was named Shah Alam.

After being informed that mosquito control worker Afar Ali could not be found in the Sagufata area, supervisor Rakibul told this reporter that the worker had died about two and a half years ago. When asked how his name still remains on the list, Rakibul declined to comment.

Sources at Dhaka North City Corporation said that the “Mosquito Eradication Work Plan” published on the website contains many inconsistencies.

Mosquito control activities are carried out by the city corporation’s health department. Chief Health Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation, Brigadier General Imrul Kayes Chowdhury, told Prothom Alo that the information on the website has not been updated for long.

While observing mosquito eradication work yesterday, Thursday, this reporter spoke with Arafat Hossain, a resident of the Swapnanagar Residential Area in Mirpur. He told Prothom Alo that it is impossible to sit on the balcony at night because of the mosquito nuisance. “Mosquito coils, sprays, nothing works,” he said.

Zahid Hasan, a resident of the nearby Sagufata Residential Area, said, “I’ve never seen mosquitoes like this before. Swarms descend from the afternoon onward. After Maghrib, we have to keep doors and windows shut.”

City corporation workers conduct mosquito control twice a day. Larvae control is carried out in the morning, a process they call “larviciding,” during which workers spray chemicals into stagnant water. From 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., “fogging” is done to kill adult mosquitoes, mainly by dispersing chemical-laced smoke.

Zakir Sarkar, a resident of the Kaderabad Residential Area in Mohammadpur, expressed doubt about whether the city corporation workers are doing their job properly. He said that the mosquito situation is so severe that children cannot sit down to study in the evenings. “It doesn’t seem like there is any monitoring by the city corporation,” he added.

Residents say mosquito infestation has increased significantly not only in Mirpur and Mohammadpur but also in various sectors of Uttara under Dhaka North City Corporation. Md. Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan, general secretary of the Uttara Sector 3 Welfare Association, told Prothom Alo, “City corporation workers bring their spraying machines in front of the association office, stand there, and take photos. Then they go to a few areas to spray and fog. Their work seems to end with taking those photos. The lakes in Uttara are practically breeding grounds for mosquitoes.”

Prothom Alo spoke yesterday with four supervisors and seven mosquito control workers from four wards of Dhaka North City Corporation. They said that in many places, drains are clogged with garbage and waste, obstructing the flow of water. As a result, insecticide cannot reach the blocked sections of the drains.

DNCC Chief Health Officer Imrul Kayes said that the population of Culex mosquitoes is currently increasing, and their spread largely depends on waste management and drainage systems. Dirty, stagnant water in various water bodies, canals, and drains is contributing to mosquito breeding. “If one canal is cleaned, another becomes dirty again. Spraying insecticide alone cannot solve the problem; effective drainage and proper waste management are necessary,” he said.

The DNCC Chief Health Officer added that the insecticide they use is only effective if it comes into contact with mosquitoes. To address the issue, they have launched an integrated program involving the waste management department in mosquito control efforts.

Kabirul Bashar, a professor in the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University, said that mosquitos have increased in number not only in the capital but across the country. He noted that weaknesses in the administrative structure of local government have made the situation more complicated. The prolonged absence of elected mayors and ward councillors in city corporations and municipalities has created gaps in both coordination and supervision of mosquito control.

Regarding effective solutions under the current circumstances, Kabirul Bashar said that drains, sewers, and stagnant water bodies must be cleaned promptly. “There is no immediate alternative but to launch larviciding activities in these areas on an urgent basis,” he added.