Ctg's mosquito menace endures despite rising spending on control efforts
Experts also blame an unscientific approach, irregular spraying of insecticide and the absence of an entomology-based strategy for the programme’s poor results
Spending on mosquito control in Chattogram has risen sharply over the years – nearly Tk2 lakh every day, but residents say they have seen little relief from the growing mosquito menace.
Experts also blame an unscientific approach, irregular spraying of insecticide and the absence of an entomology-based strategy for the programme's poor results.
In the 10 months to April 2026, the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) spent Tk5.5 crore on mosquito-control chemicals and equipment. It also spends around Tk50 lakh a month to pay 355 spraying operators.
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Yet dengue claimed 26 lives during this period. Over the past four years, mosquito-borne diseases have killed an average of 55 people annually and sent about 7,200 people to hospitals each year, raising questions about the effectiveness of the city's mosquito-control programme.
The issue has come under renewed scrutiny following controversy over the CCC mayor's proposed overseas tour, the corporation's growing mosquito-control budget and persistent public complaints.
Spending surges, results lag
Analysis of CCC data shows the current administration has spent more on mosquito control in its first 10 months than any previous administration over a comparable period.
After Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain assumed office, CCC spent Tk3.8 crore on mosquito control in FY2024-25. For FY2025-26, it allocated Tk9 crore, of which Tk5.5 crore has already been spent in the first 10 months.
Since 2000, the city corporation has spent Tk46.96 crore on mosquito-control activities, with Tk25 crore of that amount spent during the last decade.
Experts say the increasing expenditure has failed to deliver expected results because of poor-quality insecticides, irregular spraying and the absence of an in-house entomology unit to guide operations scientifically.
Residents see little improvement
Despite the spending, residents across areas including Chandgaon, Mohra, Bahaddarhat, Shulkabahar, Hamzarbagh, Jamal Khan, Chawkbazar and Halishahar say mosquito infestation remains severe.
Mahima Akter, a resident of Halishahar, said, "The city corporation claims it is conducting mosquito-control operations, but we haven't seen anyone spraying insecticide here in the past two months."
Kamrul Hasan of Chandgaon Residential Area said mosquitoes are disrupting children's studies. "Our school-going children struggle to study in the evening and sometimes even fall sick because of mosquito bites," he complained.
Debate over mayor's US visit
Amid the worsening situation, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently cancelled a proposal for a five-member CCC delegation, led by Mayor Shahadat Hossain, to visit the US to study mosquito-control technologies and biological larvicide production.
According to the PM Office, such a visit was unnecessary and effective solutions could be developed by studying local realities.
Defending the proposal on social media, the mayor said discussions with US-based Valent BioSciences LLC had opened the possibility of establishing a biological larvicide production plant in Bangladesh, reducing import dependence and saving foreign exchange while strengthening long-term mosquito control.
Irregular spraying, manpower shortage
According to the CCC, its 355 workers, divided into 41 ward-based teams, conduct daily larval control operations, with each block revisited every 72 hours to interrupt mosquito breeding.
Residents, however, dispute the claim, saying spraying teams often do not appear for months and, when they do, operate fogging machines only briefly before leaving.
CCC Chief Conservancy Officer Ikhtiar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury acknowledged that serving a city of nearly 70 lakh people with just 355 workers is difficult. He also admitted that some workers fail to perform their duties properly and said the corporation is trying to ensure every area receives spraying at least once a week while encouraging local organisations to monitor field staff.
He added that destroying mosquito larvae is more effective than killing adult mosquitoes, which is why CCC now prioritises larval control over conventional fogging.
Experts call for scientific approach
CCC's Malaria and Mosquito Control Officer Md Sarfur Islam Mahi said the corporation evaluates insecticides with technical support from icddr,b and other research institutions but argued that Bangladesh needs a dedicated national laboratory to modernise mosquito-control efforts.
Md Ahsan Habib Siam, a lecturer in the Department of Zoology at the University of Chittagong, said the programme suffers from the absence of professional entomologists. Without scientific expertise, he said, even large budgets may not produce effective results.
Urban planner Md Delwar Hossain Majumder said mosquitoes have developed resistance to many conventional insecticides over the past several decades, while the city corporation continues to rely largely on traditional methods without updated research. Regular laboratory testing of insecticides for both larvae and adult mosquitoes, he said, is essential for an effective control programme.
