Lack of coordination among agencies remains a major concern

Mosquito menace has taken a serious turn in recent times in the city, causing sufferings to the commoners and posing a threat to spread diseases like Dengue and Chikungunya, discussants at a view-exchange meeting said Monday.
Keeping this in view, they called for greater coordination among the agencies concerned to help address the health-hazard issue in the city.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) organised the function at its headquarters to receive suggestions, to address the problem ahead of the rainy season, from the stakeholders including ward councilors, civil society members and journalists.
The DNCC Panel mayor Md Osman Gani presided over the event, while its chief executive officer (CEO) Meshbahul Islam and chief health officer (CHO) Md Zakir Hassan, among others, attended.
Mentioning of several initiatives of the DNCC, the CEO said the city agency would run a special campaign beginning from today (Tuesday) to March 26.
"Special drives will be conducted to end the potential havoc and ensure cleanliness in the city during this period," he said.
A presentation was made by the DNCC official to give an overview of the extent of the mosquito in the capital.
Quoting reference from a recent study on mosquito conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the presentation said Mintu Road, Bailey Road, Bashundhara residential area, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Gabtoli, Purbo Shewrapara, Tolarbagh and Uttara sector-9 are the most mosquito-prone localities of the city.
According to it, stagnant water in construction sites is the biggest source of Aedes mosquito, which is responsible for bearing the virus of dengue and chikungunya disease.
Taking part in the discussion, office-bearers of several housing societies including Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, Mirpur and Mohammadpur came up with their opinion.
President of Uttara-11 Society, Dr Mainuddin Ahmed said open drains and Abdullahpur canals are the main mosquito breeding areas in his locality.
He requested the authority to ensure cleanliness of Abdullahpur canal in a bid to check the mosquito menace.
"We also need to establish coordination among the cleaners appointed by both the Society and the DNCC to ensure cleanliness in the region," he said.
President of Uttara-14 Welfare Society, Md Shah Alam alleged that the cleaners employed by the DNCC do not perform their responsibilities regularly in the area.
"The cleaners are supposed to clean the area twice in a week, but we don't see them according to the schedule," he said.
He also suggested for intensifying the focus of DNCC in newly-included regions, as these are still deprived of required facilities including infrastructure and cleanliness.
"A significant number of mosquitoes are grown in the city outskirts," he said.
The discussants said the water bodies like canals in the city are mostly owned by Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA), while drains are under city corporations.
Due to lack of coordination among the authorities concerned, the drives to clean them often do not become successful, they added.
Keeping this in view, they laid emphasis on strong coordination among all the stakeholders, increasing the capacity of local communities, destroy the breeding level and create mass awareness to check the mosquito menace.
Speaking on the occasion, Meshbahul Islam said around 280 staffs were working to control mosquito menace for the DNCC, while many others are outsourced when required.

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