Dhaka North imports Bti bacteria to intensify mosquito control | The Business Standard | Dengue Control in Dhaka
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Friday
July 11, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2025
Dhaka North imports Bti bacteria to intensify mosquito control

Health

Md Jahidul Islam
26 July, 2023, 09:30 am
Last modified: 26 July, 2023, 05:03 pm

Related News

  • E-rickshaws to be introduced in Uttara, Dhanmondi, Paltan areas in August
  • Dhaka North allocates Tk188 crore for mosquito control in FY2025–26 budget
  • Dhaka North to set up air quality monitoring devices in all wards
  • Over 4.66 lakh animals sacrificed in Dhaka North during Eid: Administrator Azaz
  • ‘Fresh waste came after late night qurbani’: Dhaka North on Eid cleanup

Dhaka North imports Bti bacteria to intensify mosquito control

A shipment of around five tonnes of Bti arrived at Chattogram port earlier this week

Md Jahidul Islam
26 July, 2023, 09:30 am
Last modified: 26 July, 2023, 05:03 pm
File Photo/ UNB
File Photo/ UNB

The Dhaka North City Corporation has imported insecticide bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis serotype israelensis (Bti) from Singapore through a private company as part of its efforts to control dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection that has created a significant public health concern in the country.

By using this biological larvicide, the authorities aim to reduce the mosquito population and mitigate the transmission of dengue in the city, as the menace has already claimed the lives of more than 200 people this year.

A shipment of around five tonnes of Bti arrived at Chattogram port earlier this week, Brig Gen AKM Shafiqur Rahman, chief health officer at Dhaka North, told The Business Standard.

"We hope to use it in different North City areas next week after a trial," he said, adding, "We can use the Bti brought in the first phase for at least 4-5 months. If it proves effective, it will be used throughout the year."

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

Two experts from the island nation will arrive here to train employees and mosquito control workers of the city corporation on how to use the insecticide bacteria, according to Dhaka North.

Bti is a biological larvicide that effectively targets the larvae of mosquitoes, fungus gnats, and black flies. When applying the gnat insecticide to aquatic habitats where these pests breed, it can control their populations while remaining safe for humans, pets, livestock, and beneficial insects.

Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, former director of disease control at the Directorate General of Health Services, told TBS, "Bti is different and another weapon in Dhaka's mosquito control. Its greatest advantage is that it is a biological solution. Mosquito control is possible if it is applied properly."

"But Bti will not be very effective in dengue control in this situation. It is more effective against Culex mosquitoes. If the larvicide does not reach the point of origin of the Aedes mosquitoes, it will not be effective. To get rid of dengue, the habitat of Aedes must be destroyed," he added.

Every year, the city corporation takes new initiatives, such as crash programmes and combing operations, to control mosquitoes, but these efforts have had little effect.

Such week- or month-long campaigns are mainly to kill mosquitoes. However, the fact that these campaigns with complex names are fruitless is evident from the horrors of dengue.

Besides, city dwellers have seen ducks, frogs, and guppy fish reared in water reservoirs and even tried to kill flying mosquitoes by planting sedges to attract birds. Apart from this, Dhaka North has also identified the sources of mosquitoes and spread medicine in inaccessible water bodies using drone technology.

Delegations have also gone abroad several times for training in mosquito control. Last January, after returning from Miami-Dade County, USA, Mayor Atiqul Islam said that the two city corporations in Dhaka have been trying to kill mosquitoes in the wrong way for so long.

Dhaka North hopes to benefit from the application of Bti drugs through larviciding, as all previous methods to control mosquitoes have failed.

Experts say Bti is natural, affordable, and sustainable. This bacterium is being used in various countries, including Singapore and India's Kolkata. It is mainly used as a low-toxic insecticide of microbial origin, including for stomach poisoning. The bacteria can produce large amounts of toxins, which stop the insect from eating.

Dhaka North Deputy Chief Health Officer Md Golam Mostafa Sarwar told TBS that different countries produce this Bacteria. Singapore, various cities in India, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines have been successful in controlling mosquitoes using Bti. The climate of Bangladesh is similar to that of those countries.

"In Kolkata, some companies also produce Bti. A company from Kolkata also approached us here to sell Bti but it was brought from Singapore as it was cheaper," he added.

According to experts, Bti can be sprayed over water bodies such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams. It is used to kill developing mosquito larvae by being applied to standing water where those larvae are found.

Bti can be used around homes in areas and containers where water can collect, such as flower pots, tires, and bird baths. It can also be used to treat larger bodies of water like ponds, lakes, and irrigation ditches.

Mixing 15 grams of medicine in 100 litres of water and sprinkling it over an area of 1.5 square kilometres gives good results. The medicine will be effective for 30 days.

But if it gets into the eyes, it can cause visual disturbances and skin damage. Bti has no toxicity to people and is approved for use for pest control in organic farming operations, they added.

Bangladesh / Top News

Dhaka North City Corporation / Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) / Dhaka North / mosquito control pesticides / Mosquito Control / Dengue crisis

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • How tender rules and a lone bidder stall a $2.5b power plant
    How tender rules and a lone bidder stall a $2.5b power plant
  • Bangladesh and US hold tariff talks for second day on 9July 2025. Photo: CA Press Wing
    35% tariff: Bangladesh, US 'reach general consensus on some issues' on second day of talks; final round today
  • BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed. Photo: Collected
    No scope for electoral alliance with Jamaat, door not closed for NCP: BNP's Salahuddin

MOST VIEWED

  • Photo: Mohammad Minhaj Uddin/TBS
    SSC, equivalent results: Pass rate drops to 68.45%, GPA-5 also declines
  • In terms of stream of education, girls maintained their excellence as well. Photo: TBS
    SSC 2025: Girls dominate boys by over 5%
  • Govt vehicle purchase, foreign trip, new building construction banned: Finance ministry
    Govt vehicle purchase, foreign trip, new building construction banned: Finance ministry
  • Students sit for SSC exam at Motijheel Girls' High School on 10 April 2025. Photo: Mehedi Hasan/TBS
    SSC exam results out: Here's how you can check online and via SMS
  • The overall pass rate across all boards this year, 68.45%, is significantly lower than last year's. Photo: Focus Bangla
    SSC 2025: Rajshahi board records highest pass rate, Barishal lowest
  • Representational image. Photo: Collected
    35% tariff: Bangladesh, US 'agree on most issues' as first day of talks ends

Related News

  • E-rickshaws to be introduced in Uttara, Dhanmondi, Paltan areas in August
  • Dhaka North allocates Tk188 crore for mosquito control in FY2025–26 budget
  • Dhaka North to set up air quality monitoring devices in all wards
  • Over 4.66 lakh animals sacrificed in Dhaka North during Eid: Administrator Azaz
  • ‘Fresh waste came after late night qurbani’: Dhaka North on Eid cleanup

Features

Photo: Collected/BBC

What Hitler’s tariff policy misfire can teach the modern world

16h | The Big Picture
Illustration: TBS

Behind closed doors: Why women in Bangladesh stay in abusive marriages

19h | Panorama
Purbachl’s 144-acre Sal forest is an essential part of the area’s biodiversity. Within it, 128 species of plants and 74 species of animals — many of them endangered — have been identified. Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain/TBS

A forest saved: Inside the restoration of Purbachal's last Sal grove

19h | Panorama
Photo: Rajib Dhar/TBS

11 July 2024: Riot vehicles, water cannons hit the streets as police crack down on protesters

12h | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

'Hypocrisy' will not continue, Iran tells IAEA

'Hypocrisy' will not continue, Iran tells IAEA

14h | TBS World
OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome

OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome

14h | TBS World
Will the title 'Honorable and Excellency' be abolished?

Will the title 'Honorable and Excellency' be abolished?

15h | TBS Today
July Declaration must be constitutionally recognized: Akhtar Hossain

July Declaration must be constitutionally recognized: Akhtar Hossain

15h | TBS Today
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net