Dhaka: To curb the city’s rising mosquito menace and prevent dengue ahead of the upcoming monsoon season, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) will launch the “Saturday’s Pledge – Let’s Keep Our Homes Clean” campaign from tomorrow. The campaigns will be conducted jointly by DNCC’s Health and Waste Management Departments, with the participation of entomologists and senior mosquito-control officials of the corporation, a press release said here today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the campaign will include the removal of abandoned and unused containers identified as potential breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes, cleaning of garbage and waste, organising rallies, distributing leaflets, spreading awareness messages, and carrying out public communication initiatives.
DNCC Administrator Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan stated that the Prime Minister has instructed that special mosquito control drives be conducted every Saturday. The campaign aims to encourage city residents to keep their homes and surroundings clean and actively participate in destroying potential Aedes mosquito breeding sites to prevent dengue.
Surveys conducted by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and the Directorate General of Health Services have identified 25 wards of DNCC as most vulnerable to Aedes mosquitoes. In these 25 high-risk wards, a total of 53 campaigns under the “Saturday’s Pledge – Let’s Keep Our Homes Clean” initiative will be conducted from March to May every Saturday from 8 am to 12 noon.
This year, DNCC is launching the campaign ahead of time to destroy these breeding sites and control dengue before the monsoon season.