Shyamasundari canal in Rangpur a mosquito breeding centre

RANGPUR, Aug 25: Shyamasundari canal which is the main outlet connecting all the drains in Rangpur city is filled with waste materials. As a result, it has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes, much to the worry of the city dwellers.

Due to frequent dumping of waste and a lack of maintenance, the century-old canal has turned into a suitable place for mosquito breeding. Owing to lack of water flow the canal is now almost dead, locals alleged.

Such a dirty water body where water remains stagnant is the fertile ground for mosquito breeding, city dwellers alleged.

Most local garbage are usually thrown into this canal, contaminating the water and emitting bad odour and becoming mosquito breeding ground, said Sohel, a resident of Engineerpara area in the city.

He said he had never seen the spraying of any mosquito killing pesticide on this dirty water before. But nowadays, some city corporation employees seem to be busy spraying some mosquito killer pesticide at times, he added.

A number of city residents alleged that they are getting vulnerable to mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, though city corporations earlier announced tougher actions to eliminate the issue. In this situation they demanded required renovation of the canal as early as possible.

Mayor of Rangpur City Corporation Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa said presently, anti-mosquito drive is going on. They have decided to conduct renovation work of the canal. As it is expensive, it will take time to be completed. He also urged the city dwellers to cooperate the city corporation authority to keep the canal waste free.

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