Most dengue patient visiting hospitals come from outside Dhaka, says DSCC administrator

Dhaka is not experiencing a dengue outbreak but, instead, many of the patients being treated for the mosquito-borne illness in hospitals across the capital are coming from outside the city, says Shajahan Mia, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) administrator.

He made the remarks at a press conference at the Rabindra Sarobar to mark a special cleaning and mosquito killing drive at 8am on Friday. The DSCC has launched the drive with the slogan, “Let’s keep our yards clean and create a clean city”.

Dhanmondi has been divided into seven zones and 700 workers are cleaning those areas. In particular, pipes and drains where mosquitoes breed will be cleaned and pesticides will be applied.

Shahjahan said, “The dengue cases we see in the hospitals -- the patients came from outside Dhaka. It’s not that it [dengue] is spreading in Dhaka. But our regular programme will go on. We’ve doubled our work.”

“Dengue prevails throughout Dhaka during the monsoon. We have opted for special measures this time to prevent it. We’ll run a special drive in every zone of Dhaka South.”

Shahjahan said he was trying his best to make Dhaka a “city people are able to live in”.

“Also, plans are in place to address unpleasant smells and unclean things in Dhanmondi,” he said.

The administrator said the Local Government Division has formed a task force and they had a meeting to ensure security and clean roads for all.

“RAJUK, the Ministry of Public Works, BRTA (Bangladesh Road Transport Authority), other authorities and police are working with us,” he said.

Local Government Secretary Rezaul Maksud Zahedy said, “Earlier I said that we would kick off the programme in Dhanmondi. Accordingly, it has started today. Dhanmondi residents and the Red Crescent Society are helping us.”

He said Dhaka had three master plans made since the British era and they aimed to turn the capital into a garden city. “But we can see Dhaka losing its greenery gradually. Also, the water bodies are vanishing.”

Since the housing sector has been privatised, Dhaka began to lose these characteristics, he said. “If they are lost in this way, Dhaka will become an abandoned city by 2050. We won’t let it happen. That’s why we organised this special drive today.”

The secretary said ponds, drains and marshlands in Jatrabari were also being cleaned. A special drive will be conducted there to spray pesticide once they are cleaned.

“They [mosquitoes] get a chance to breed once the monsoon hits or it rains. Hence, we’ll clean the drains and pipes before the monsoon starts.”