Irregularities and corruption at Dhaka city corporations in buying pesticides, unplanned anti-mosquito drives and a lack of national work plan are the main reasons behind the dengue outbreak, TIB has said.

These were revealed in a research conducted by Transparency International Bangladesh and shared at a press conference at its office in the capital yesterday.

The unofficial number of deaths from the mosquito-borne disease is now 146, However, the official figure is 75.

“Though there were dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh in the last few years, enough importance was not given at local and national levels to control it. The strategy and work plan, which are very essential to control Aedes mosquitoes, are at a preliminary stage,” TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman told the press conference.

He said even though applying larvicide and destroying source of mosquitoes proved effective, both the city corporations were conducting anti-mosquito drives with adulticide, as chances of irregularities were higher in purchasing the adulticide.

People’s attention is easily drawn during application of adulticide, which is another reason for giving more importance to it, he said.

Aedes mosquitoes need to be controlled via environment management, organic management, with mechanical method, and by applying chemicals. But the two city corporations apply chemicals only, the TIB report said.

According to experts, applying larvicide is 80 percent effective. But Dhaka south and north city corporations conducted anti-mosquito drives giving emphasis on adulticide, which is only 30 percent effective.

Corruption and irregularities were evident at every stage of purchasing insecticides of the two city corporations, the survey said.

According to the study findings, the necessary government rules were not followed properly in buying insecticides.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) bought insecticides from a company that was blacklisted by Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). The DSCC lost 40 percent of its money spent on insecticides in 2018-2019, the report said.

The DSCC bought insecticide for Tk 378 a litre from Narayanganj Dockyard and Engineering Works Ltd.

Agroproducts Ltd, which supplied the insecticide to the company, offered DNCC Tk 217 per litre, which means the DSCC lost Tk 161 per litre by buying from a third party, it said.

TIB added that in many cases, insecticides and fuel of fogger machines were sold and larvicide was discarded.

The field-level workers also took Tk 50 to Tk 200 to apply adulticide at garages or on ground floors of buildings, the report said.

At the press conference, TIB made some recommendations to the authorities concerned for controlling Aedes mosquitoes.

There should be a work plan involving all stakeholders and everyone’s responsibilities must be clear in the plan.

The existing laws have to be amended, and real estate companies and government and private organisations need to be instructed what to do about controlling mosquitoes. There must be a provision for punishing those who fail to comply.

The city corporations will have to identify hot spots of Aedes mosquitoes each year after conducting surveys with the help of Directorate General of Health Services and icddr,b. Necessary steps will have to be taken immediately based on the survey findings.

Surveys on Aedes mosquitoes have to be carried out outside Dhaka as well. The authorities concerned may take the help of local universities, entomologists and private research organisations.