Dengue rages as Tk1,000cr lost to futile mosquito control efforts
Experts blame poor governance; city corporations dispute DGHS data
Highlights:
- Massive spending failed to stop Dhaka's deadly dengue surge
- Experts cite corruption, outdated methods, and chaotic waste management
- City officials blame public neglect and severe manpower shortages
- DGHS dengue data disputed as overstating Dhaka's true caseload
- Insecticide budgets ballooned while infections and deaths stayed high
- Emergency measures changed little; governance breakdown remains central problem
Dhaka's two city corporations, Dhaka South and North, have spent Tk1,012 crore over the past decade on mosquito control programmes and insecticide purchases, yet the capital once again tops the country in dengue deaths this year.
As of 15 November, dengue has killed 331 people nationwide this year, of whom 213 were residents of Dhaka's North and South city corporation areas.
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Experts argue that despite massive annual spending, mosquito control remains ineffective. They blame outdated pesticide application methods, chaotic waste management, and inadequate care for dengue patients – factors that have allowed the dengue situation to spiral out of control year after year.
But, the two city corporations claim that this year's dengue situation in the capital has improved compared to previous years. They blame public indifference, lack of awareness, and a severe shortage of manpower for the failure to bring dengue fully under control.
They also allege that the DGHS data is misleading as dengue patients from outside the capital are often recorded as Dhaka patients in their reports, which makes the city's caseload appear higher than it actually is.
Where did the crores go?
An analysis of annual budgets shows that from the 2016-17 fiscal year to the 2025-26 fiscal year, Dhaka North City Corporation spent Tk688.39 crore on mosquito control, while Dhaka South City Corporation spent Tk323.63 crore.
The largest share of these budgets went into purchasing insecticides.
In the 2025-26 fiscal year, Dhaka North has allocated Tk187.75 crore for mosquito control, of which Tk80 crore will go toward purchasing insecticides. Another Tk45 crore has been reserved for outsourcing mosquito control operations.
Dhaka South, on the other hand, has set aside Tk53.50 crore for mosquito control, with Tk45 crore dedicated solely to buying insecticides.
According to city officials, purchases of insecticide and equipment for the current fiscal year are nearly complete. In some cases, spending may exceed the approved budget.
Experts note that no other city corporation or municipality in the country spends anywhere near the amount Dhaka does – yet residents fail to see meaningful results. Dengue infections and deaths remain disproportionately high in the capital.
According to DGHS data, 53 people died of dengue across the country in the first 15 days of November, of whom 38 were residents of the two Dhaka city corporations; 83,858 people had been hospitalised nationwide with dengue by the same time, of whom 24,880 were from Dhaka.
'Governance failure the root of the problem'
Entomologist and rights activist Manjur Ahmed Chowdhury told The Business Standard, "The root of the country's problem is poor governance. The mosquito control budget is not used properly at field level. There is corruption in insecticide procurement, and outsourced field operations are not carried out as they should be. Without an integrated mosquito control strategy, dengue transmission cannot be reduced."
Manjur Ahmed, also a former chairman of the Centre for Governance Studies, further said authorities had repeatedly been urged to adopt vector-control methods, but recommendations were ignored.
"Government bodies keep taking decisions based on their own convenience rather than expert opinion. The interim government is following the same path. Our expectations are not being met. Corruption and irregularities continue as before. Unless these changes, dengue – or anything else – will not improve," he added.
City corps challenge DGHS figures
Both Dhaka North and Dhaka South have described the DGHS figures on dengue hospitalisations and deaths as misleading.
They argue that the DGHS-reported dengue deaths are counted based on data collected from hospitals. As a result, all patients admitted to hospitals located within the two city corporations' jurisdictions are counted as Dhaka patients.
In reality, the number of dengue patients who actually belong to Dhaka North and South city areas is much lower.
Dr Nishat Parveen, chief health officer of Dhaka South, told TBS, "This year both dengue cases and deaths are much lower in Dhaka South. As of 9 November, 28 deaths and around 700 hospital admissions have been recorded in our area. When we check addresses based on DGHS lists, we often cannot locate the patients."
She cited an example from 5 November, when DGHS reported 10 dengue deaths nationwide, of which five were listed under Dhaka South. "But after checking, we found only one resident in Jurain. Another person died of kidney disease, not dengue, and the remaining four were from outside Dhaka," she said.
Brig Gen Imru-al-Quais, Dhaka North's chief health officer, told TBS, "For the first time, Dhaka North is doing case surveillance. We collect dengue data two to three times a week from our 15 hospitals, Mugda Hospital and Dhaka Medical College. But only 28% of the patients on DGHS lists actually live within our jurisdiction. There are large discrepancies in their data."
"We take measures to control Aedes mosquitoes around the homes of patients we identify. But when patients from outside Dhaka are listed under Dhaka North, very little work is being done in those areas to control dengue. At the DNCC Covid Hospital, at least 40% of the patients are from outside Dhaka – areas like Gazipur, Narayanganj, or Savar."
According to him, Dhaka North has identified 25 high-risk zones and, with support from Brac, removed several hundred tonnes of potential Aedes breeding sources such as plastic bottles, tyres and broken furniture.
"Water trapped between buildings, on balconies and in parking areas remains our biggest challenge," he said. "If residents cooperate, Dhaka's dengue deaths could be brought close to zero."
Double insecticide use
On 11 June, Dhaka South held an emergency meeting and announced it would double the amount of insecticide used in fogging machines – from 30 litres to 60 litres – to achieve "immediate results".
But, five months later, it is still at the top of the national dengue death tally.
On 6 November, the city corporation again called an emergency meeting and decided to form ward-level monitoring teams with citizen participation to ensure proper use of adulticide and larvicide. Hotspots would be identified based on infection data, followed by targeted operations.
However, despite the measures taken, little improvement has been observed. Of the 38 dengue deaths recorded in Dhaka as of 15 November, 22 occurred in Dhaka South, according to DGHS data. Of the 331 nationwide deaths, 156 were in Dhaka South.
Dhaka South administrator Md Mahmudul Hasan said, "Aedes control is a shared responsibility. While city workers must do their part, citizens also need to be aware and act responsibly."
The North also held an emergency meeting last week. At the meeting, its administrator Mohammad Azaz said, "We consulted experts before the monsoon and tried to implement their recommendations throughout the year."
"Data shows a decline in cases and deaths compared with previous years. Still, even one dengue death is unacceptable. We are giving our best despite limited manpower," he added.
Noting a severe staffing shortage, he said, "International standards say there should be 2.3 public health workers per 1,000 people. We have just one per 11,000. To strengthen field operations, the city corporation has appointed seven new inspectors."
