Why has combating dengue become a Herculean task?
Dengue might be one of the most discussed topics of the year, on which piles of articles have been written. But only a few of them have made substantial contributions towards identifying the proper ways and means of combatting the dengue outbreak. Most have unilaterally lambasted city corporations' role in controlling the dengue menace without any cogent reasons.
Broadly speaking, city corporations provide most public services to city dwellers. That's why, when facing any discomfort relating to civic amenities, citizens rush to the city corporation offices for solutions. But just like the coronavirus, preventing dengue does not depend solely upon the activities of city authorities. The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), for instance, has no shortage of chemicals or pesticides for killing Aedes mosquito larvae. Moreover, all other services of the two Dhaka city corporations have improved a lot over the years. So what keeps the city corporations of the capital from achieving success in combatting the dengue menace? As a field-level official of the DSCC, I would like to discuss the major reasons behind why the prevention of dengue has become a difficult task for city authorities this year.
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The DSCC, in its anti-dengue drive this year, has applied four recognised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)—environmental control, biological control, chemical control, and social awareness—from the onset of the breeding season of the Aedes mosquito. The DSCC has also conducted special drives to destroy the habitats of Aedes mosquitoes. But when doing so, the main obstacle that the authorities faced was people's own lack of awareness and nonchalance, as well as inaction, towards the outbreak. Any conscious citizen would have noticed this year that city corporation staff members regularly sprayed chemicals in and around public places and canals. But they have little or no access to residential units. Immediately after identifying this obstacle, the DSCC put utmost emphasis on creating awareness among city dwellers. Some seriously dengue-infected areas were declared red zones by the DSCC in order to motivate people to remove the stagnant water gathered in their homes. During the few days before conducting such a drive, vigorous campaigning was done using a microphone or loudspeaker. Leaflets outlining dengue prevention techniques were also distributed among residents of specific localities. Also, on Fridays during jummah, the imams were requested to deliver short speeches on dengue prevention.
Besides stagnant water, waste has been another hurdle against conducting mosquito-killing sprees. For example, rainwater gathered on garbage creates a congenial atmosphere for mosquito breeding.
Meanwhile, large construction companies were found to be grossly violating the health and safety rules by keeping stagnant water in basements for prolonged periods. As a result, the ground floors of almost all under-construction buildings were found to be abuzz with Aedes mosquito larvae throughout the rainy season. Old government quarters were another big source of Aedes larvae. Residents of PWD Colony buildings, for example, complained against concerned officials for failing to keep their drainage system clean.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned steps, the question remains: what else could the two city corporations of Dhaka city have done? The only government organisation that conducts surveys on area-wise density of Aedes mosquito larvae and gives suggestions to the DSCC and DNCC is the Directorate General of Health Services. Every year, the DGHS carries out advanced surveys before monsoon, when Aedes mosquitoes begin to lay eggs. However, this year, the DGHS delayed conveying the survey results to the city corporations, causing them to wait to determine their respective modus operandi in combatting dengue.
Ultimately, we can only keep the Aedes aegypti mosquito population under control, but it is unlikely to exterminate them altogether. The Aedes mosquito can fly vertically up to 400 metres and lay eggs in both visible and invisible places. An Aedes mosquito egg can survive up to eight months without water, after which it can fertilise and grow even on a teaspoon of water anywhere. This is why mass awareness and precautionary measures are key to saving ourselves from the deadly dengue.
Entomologists should conduct more intensive research every year on the Aedes mosquito's adaptation process in new environments. Given the pervasive attacking nature of the female Aedes mosquito, we can also consider gathering knowledge from Singapore's experience of engineering a special species of male mosquitoes which can neutralise harmful female mosquitoes through cross-breeding. Lastly, with Dhaka being one of the most populous cities in the world, its dwellers shouldn't evade the responsibility of cleaning their own homes or buildings at regular intervals.
Bamir Mir is deputy secretary and zonal executive officer (Zone-3) at Dhaka South City Corporation. Reach him at bamir20@gmail.com
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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