Special Correspondent; Dbarta24 — Despite spending a staggering BDT 898.27 crore over the past decade on mosquito eradication, the two city corporations in Dhaka have failed to curb the escalating dengue crisis.
Investigations reveal that the bulk of these funds continues to be funneled into methods long declared ineffective by international health experts, compounded by widespread corruption and procurement anomalies.
The Fogging Myth and Misguided Strategy
Both the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) rely heavily on thermal fogging and spraying open drains—a strategy entomologists and the World Health Organization (WHO) have repeatedly criticized as useless against Aedes mosquitoes.
Speaking during a visit to Dhaka, Dr. B. N. Nagpal, a senior WHO entomologist, explicitly termed road-side fogging a “myth”. He explained that approximately 95% of the fogging mixture consists of diesel or kerosene, which poses severe respiratory and cardiac risks to humans while failing to reach the clean water breeding sites where Aedes mosquitoes thrive.
Echoing these concerns, Dr. Kabirul Bashar, Professor of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University, pointed out the core flaw in the municipal approach. “The methods used for Culex mosquitoes do not work for Aedes,” Dr. Bashar emphasized. “Aedes mosquitoes breed in clean water around households, not in dirty drains or roadsides.
Furthermore, prolonged use of identical pesticides has caused Aedes mosquitoes to develop resistance, rendering these sprays largely ineffective in field conditions.”
Skyrocketing Budgets, Surging Corruption
Financial data from FY 2016–17 to FY 2025–26 reveals that DSCC spent BDT 303.63 crore and DNCC spent BDT 594.64 crore on mosquito control, with over half the budget routinely allocated to purchasing pesticides.
For the upcoming FY 2026–27, DNCC has earmarked BDT 80 crore out of a BDT 205.50 crore budget for pesticides, while DSCC allocated BDT 50 crore out of BDT 114.50 crore for the same.
However, huge spending has coincided with major corruption scandals:
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Ten-Fold Price Inflation: In FY 2023–24, DNCC purchased Novaluron-0.8P larvicide from Genetica Industries Ltd. at BDT 21,068 per kg—nearly 10 times its actual import and tax-inclusive cost of BDT 2,114 per kg. Despite preliminary evidence confirming the markup, official punishment was limited to administrative transfers of responsible procurement officers.
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Fake Import Certificates: In 2023, DNCC procured Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) larvicide through Marshall Agrovete. Marshall claimed to source it from Singapore’s Best Chemical Ltd., but the Singaporean firm publicly denied any association, revealing the product was unlicensed and imported from China. The vendor was subsequently blacklisted.
Official Responses and the Road Ahead
City officials maintain that field execution is their primary focus. Air Commodore Md. Mahabubur Rahman Talukdar, Chief Waste Management Officer at DSCC, stated that lab tests confirmed their chemicals are effective, claiming the bottleneck lies in field supervision and worker negligence.
He noted that DSCC has identified 40 high-risk wards and is trialing new organic BTI larvicides.
Similarly, DNCC Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Imrul Kayes Chowdhury highlighted ongoing source-identification efforts in 25 high-risk zones.
He urged public cooperation, stressing that stagnant water in balcony flowerpots and building margins remains the biggest challenge.
Public health experts insist that throwing more money at outdated methods will not save lives.
With 59 dengue deaths recorded across Bangladesh by early August—nearly half occurring within Dhaka’s two city corporations—experts warn that without a complete, scientifically grounded overhaul focusing on source destruction, Dhaka will remain locked in a costly and fatal loop.