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KHULNA CITY

Winter’s arrival does little to curb mosquito menace
DIPANKAR ROY, Khulna
Despite the onset of winter, when mosquito populations typically dwindle, Khulna city continues to grapple with a severe mosquito infestation.
The nuisance has left residents struggling with sleepless nights and disrupted daily lives.
Mosquitoes usually begin growing in number from spring onwards, as their breeding season begins between mid-February and late March. However, this year, the city is experiencing an early outbreak with the advent of winter.
Amid the situation, local physicians raised concerns about the surge in transmission of diseases, including malaria and dengue.
According to the Khulna Divisional Health Directorate, 8,744 dengue patients have been hospitalised in Khulna division, including over 2,442 in Khulna district alone, as of yesterday morning. The death toll has climbed to 26.
Meanwhile, city dwellers brought allegations of negligence against the Khulna City Corporation authorities in conducting its mosquito control measures in the city areas.
Toufiq Siddique from Phulbarigate area said stagnant water in nearby drains and Beel Dakatia have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes due to insufficient control measures by KCC.
“Hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed with dengue patients. We’re passing days amid worries.”
Students, too, are bearing the brunt. “My final exams start next week, but I can barely study with mosquitoes starting to swarm our ground-floor apartment from the evening. Even burning coils for hours doesn’t help,” lamented Srijon Kundu, an eighth-grader at Government Muhsin High School.
Advocate Babul Hawlader, member secretary of Khulna Civic Society, accused the KCC of failing to conduct year-round mosquito control activities.
“Also, KCC sprays adulterated insecticides, which are ineffective in controlling mosquito populations,w” he alleged.
KCC officials, however, said conservancy workers are engaged in spraying insecticide across the 31 wards under the city corporation round the clock, while over 400 cleaners are cleaning drains and bushes to curb mosquito breeding.
KCC is also implementing a Tk 823 crore project on Drainage System Development, which will mitigate mosquito outbreaks, they added.
Md Abdul Aziz, chief conservancy officer of KCC, said the workers are sprinkling black oil in the city’s drains to prevent mosquito breeding.
“Every day, 31 workers are also spraying larvicide and insecticide across the 31 wards under KCC. We carry out these measures round the year. In total, 77 people are engaged in mosquito control activities at present,” he also said.
“We, however, face challenges to clean all drains, as most are clogged with garbage and polythene,” he added.
Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist and professor of Zoology Department at Jahangirnagar University, said, “Previously, mosquitoes used to be a seasonal issue, usually around monsoon when they breed. However, it is now a year-round problem. If there is accumulated water, mosquitoes can breed any time, be that winter, summer, or monsoon.”
In Khulna, it rained last on October 27. An Aedes mosquito typically lives up to 45 days, which means the mosquitoes born from larvae last month are still active. The ideal temperature for mosquito breeding ranges from 20 to 35 degrees Celsius, he said.
Prof Bashar further explained that unplanned urbanisation, poor management of construction sites, inadequate waste management, and poor implementation of mosquito control measures, alongside climate change, are all contributing to the menace.