DNCC to Set Aside Tk121.84cr to Combat Dengue Menace

In order to combat the mosquito problem once more, the Dhaka North City corporation has allocated Tk121.84 crore, or around 2.32% of its overall budget, for mosquito control in the upcoming fiscal year 2023–2024.

In accordance with the increased allocation, Tk 45 crore will be used to buy medications, Tk 30 crore to outsource mosquito control work, and Tk 30 crore to buy mosquito control gear.

Additionally, Tk7.34 crore would be used to promote sanitation and dengue prevention knowledge.

The Dhaka North City Corporation's budget for this year has been set at Tk5269.45 crore, according to a news conference conducted by the city corporation on Monday (24 July) to announce the budget. 

The Dhaka North's revised budget for the previous fiscal year was Tk2950.98 crore, of which Tk74.84 crore was used to combat mosquitoes.

The Dhaka North City Corporation collected Tk1,180.90 crore in revenue for the fiscal year 2022–2023, which is the largest amount ever. 

The expected total income for the next fiscal year is Tk1830.88 crore.

The city corporation (DNCC) has also agreed to provide one lakh booklets on mosquito awareness to all basic educational institutions, including primary schools and madrasas, that are within the jurisdiction of the northern section of the city as part of the effort to combat mosquito-borne illnesses.

On Sunday, July 23, DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam revealed the book's cover at the DNCC Conference Room in the city's Gulshan-2 district. The book's title is "Moshar Kamor Khotikor" (Mosquito bites are hazardous).

This 12-page book is a Bengali translation of a book that was given out to kids in Miami Dade County, Florida, and it includes awareness quotes and pertinent graphics.

Mayor Atiqul Islam said, "We want to inform our children that mosquito bites are harmful so that they can be our super heroes fighting mosquitoes.

"If children can learn about mosquitoes and protect themselves from being bitten, we can largely prevent mosquito-borne diseases. It will have an overall impact on the situation when children will be made aware of the harmfulness of mosquito breeding grounds."

The municipal corporation will print more copies of this book to give to kids once the initial batch is distributed.

In the meantime, the government has started a massive Tk1,288 crore initiative to manage the mosquito population and develop a methodology to forecast dengue outbreaks.

The project will be carried out in the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), and the two nearby municipalities of Savar and Tarabo.

There are currently 7,175 dengue patients being treated nationwide, 4,149 of them are in the nation's capital.

As of Sunday morning (23 July), the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recorded 32,977 dengue cases and 25,626 recoveries.

Prior to it, the nation had 281 dengue deaths in 2022, the highest number ever following 179 deaths in 2019. Additionally, it reported 61,971 recoveries and 62,423 dengue cases last year.