Our mosquito control method was wrong, money wasted: Mayor Atiq

After inspecting the mosquito control programme of the city of Miami in the United States, Dhaka North Mayor Md Atiqul Islam has said that the method used so far in fighting against mosquitoes in the capital city was wrong.

The mayor said, "We have used the wrong method so far. It did not destroy mosquitoes, rather money was wasted. We want to use the experience we have learned in Miami to eradicate mosquitoes in Dhaka," according to a press release issued by the Public Relations Department of Dhaka North on Saturday.

A delegation of Dhaka North, led by Mayor Atiqul, is visiting Florida at the invitation and funding of the Commercial Law Development Programme of the Department of Commerce organised by the United States government.

During the visit, experts from Miami-Dade County taught the delegation the country's experience with mosquito control.

The mayor said, "I will organise a meeting with the entomologists of our country. How the United States is successful and how it can be implemented in Dhaka will be determined. If necessary, work can be done to determine the nature of the life of mosquitoes in university labs.

"Instead of wasting money on fogging, the focus will be given to larvicide. We found that Miami and Dhaka have similar weather and mosquito patterns. So if they are successful then surely we will be successful. If we follow the methods of developed countries it is possible to make Dhaka free of mosquitoes," the mayor added.

The workshop highlighted that approximately 52 species of mosquitoes exist in the city of Miami. As a result, 365 days a year there is a risk of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus, but due to proper management they have been able to control all the mosquito-borne diseases, he added.

Miami-Dade County officials said identifying mosquito species is the top priority in Miami to eliminate mosquitoes because it is possible to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes only if the medicine is sprayed by understanding the type of mosquito, he said further.

How Miami-Dade County controls mosquitoes

First, they assign a team to find mosquito breeding grounds. They collect whole mosquitoes and mosquito eggs from mosquito breeding grounds and send them to the lab. Experts in the lab examine the mosquitoes and separate the species. Each species of mosquito is destroyed by spraying the appropriate amount of medicine according to the type of mosquito.

They give more importance to larvicide than fogging, and 80% of the total budget of their mosquito control system is spent on larvicide activities.

They also suggested changes in pesticides. Commonly used drugs in the country are Temifast and Noverion. Experts said that due to using this medicine for a long time, the effectiveness of the medicine is lost. BIT is more commonly used in the US.

They have reduced human use of pesticides and shown dependence on machines. A car sprayer can spray up to 100 feet and rotate right and left. A small droplet of insecticide falls on the breeding ground of the mosquito.

Mosquito control in the United States is under the authority of the country's Department of Solid Waste Management.

Operation Manager Isik Unlu and Director Dr William D Petrie of the country's Department of Solid Waste Management assisted in day-long workshops and field visits on mosquito control.