Summer and mosquito menace

SUMMER is yet to arrive, but menacing mosquitoes are already there. They are all over the place every day as soon as the sun goes down, or may be a few minutes before. I live in Dhaka and therefore I have very little knowledge about what is happening now in other parts of the country, particularly in the countryside. We the city dwellers have already started using mosquito coils not only in the evening but also during the daytime in some areas. There are complains from residents that mosquito repellents are of no use and they are not being able to have a good night's sleep for days due to mosquitoes.

City dwellers also complain that measures by the city corporation authorities brought no significant change although the Dhaka South City Corporation has mentioned about a 'crash programme' to tackle the situation.

Media reports have it that drains and ditches in Hatirjheel have turned into safe hubs for breeding mosquitoes. The mosquito menace even delayed a flight at the Dhaka airport on Thursday when a Malaysian Airlines flight took off two hours behind schedule from the Dhaka airport as cabin crew had to kill the mosquitoes first.

Mosquitoes have once again beset Dhaka with threats of dengue and chikungunya fever and sudden rains deepened the fears of the diseases. I live in Bonosree and the water bodies in the area it are dirty which is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Around the world nearly one million deaths are reported every year from mosquito-borne diseases and about 700 million people are infected every year. I hope the city corporations will take effective steps immediately to combat the mosquito menace.

Hannan

Bonosree, Dhaka