Anti-Aedes Campaign - Clean homes, surroundings once a week: DNCC mayor

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam has urged city dwellers to clean their homes and surroundings every Saturday to destroy Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.

"Let us clean our homes and surroundings every Saturday at 10am for 10 minutes," said the mayor, who launched the campaign from the rooftop of his home yesterday.

"Please make it a social movement," said the mayor, "because controlling Aedes mosquitoes is crucial."

Speaking at a virtual live programme from his Uttara house, he said the city corporation workers will not come to clean rooftops, and that it is everyone's individual responsibility to clean their own homes and rooftops.

"I've come to my Uttara house to see if there's any water in the rooftop garden after yesterday's rain. Rain and then sunshine are ideal conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, so we must clean up the stagnant water as soon as possible," he explained.

"If we have rooftop gardens, we must be careful not to allow stagnant water to become mosquito breeding grounds," the mayor said.

The mayor also showed where Aedes mosquito larvae can breed, places like corners, garage, and yard.

The mayor urged members of various clubs, societies, social organisations, school teachers, and mosque imams to come forward and encourage everyone to wear masks and clean their own homes and yards.

He also urged them to visit construction sites on a regular basis to check for stagnant water.

He stated that there are 46 health service centres, where city dwellers can get free dengue virus testing.