Graft mars fight against dengue

Irregularities took place in the measures taken by the two city corporations to check the spread of aedes mosquitoes, responsible for the deadly dengue fever, in Dhaka, a TIB study has revealed.
It also said organisational shortcomings worsened the dengue situation across the country this year even as some health-related institutions forecast the outbreak of dengue.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) released the findings of the study titled 'Challenges to good governance in Dhaka city's aedes mosquito control and the way forward' at a press conference held at its headquarters in the city on Wednesday.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman and Executive Management Adviser Dr Sumaiya Khair attended the event.
TIB researchers Md. Julkarnayeen and Mostofa Kamal presented the research findings.
According to the study, the authorities concerned didn't take the dengue issue seriously although there had been outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease in the past several years.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) adopted unplanned and uncoordinated efforts to fight the menace of aedes mosquito, which paved the way for irregularities in every step, the study said.
"The government's procurement law was not followed in the purchase of pesticides in a bid to resort to corruption, resulting in squandering of state fund and use of low-quality pesticide," it added.
The study was conducted between August 20 and September 20 in the wake of severe dengue outbreak in the country. Information about the last five years' (2015-2019) mosquito control activities was taken into consideration for the study.
According to the study findings, stakeholders' apathy towards the ICDDRB's prediction for dengue outbreak aggravated the situation.
"A high government official gave an instruction not to disclose the ICDDRB's research findings to the media considering the time of the national election," the study said.
It also revealed that the DSCC purchased pesticides from a supplier at Tk 378 per litre, whereas the same supplier asked for Tk 217 per litre while bidding for tenders invited by the DNCC. The TIB also presented a 15-point recommendation to ensure good governance in purchase of pesticides to control the mosquito menace.
It called for adopting a mosquito control strategy and working plan at the national level with the participation of all stakeholders, which would clearly mention the responsibility and liability of every party.
The TIB also suggested reforming the law to determine the responsibilities of different government and non-government organisations relating to the construction sector such as real estate and housing. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Iftekharuzzaman said dengue crisis was not a new problem, but the situation went out of control due to indifferent attitude of the authorities concerned.
"The mindset of some government agencies ignoring the dengue prediction and the lack of preparation and strategies to take preventive measures caused the overall situation to spiral out of control," he added.
There had been no coordinated plan or actions to control aedes mosquito, he said, adding that ineffective pesticides were used to show off to the country's people.
"Corruption took place in every step of pesticide purchase," he added.
He also underscored the need for adopting short-, medium- and long-term plans to combat the mosquito menace.

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