DHAKA
\nFacing an annual outbreak of dengue fever, the administration of Dhaka has introduced a fleet of drones to monitor the city for potential breeding sites of disease-spreading mosquitoes.
\nHot, humid and crowded, Bangladesh\u2019s sprawling capital struggles with swarms of mosquitoes due to its climate and unplanned urbanization.
\nThe breeding of insects becomes a major health concern during the monsoon season between June and September, when thousands of Dhaka residents contract dengue, a viral and potentially deadly disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, which breed in freshwater pools and rain drains.
\nThe disease used to be rare in Bangladesh in the 1960s, but for the past two decades its incidence has increased dramatically and in 2019 \u2014 the worst dengue outbreak year in the country\u2019s history \u2014 more than 100,000 cases were reported across the country, mainly in Dhaka.
\nThis year alone, already more than 1,300 people have been hospitalized with dengue in the Bangladeshi capital, while the monsoon season is not even in full swing yet.
\nTo contain the outbreak, the Dhaka North City Corporation, which governs about 80 percent of the Bangladeshi capital\u2019s 22 million people, last week deployed 10 drones to monitor residential areas for containers with standing water, where Aedes mosquitoes could breed.
\n\u201cFresh rainwater is logged on the rooftops during monsoon and becomes an ideal breeding place for the Aedes mosquitoes. That\u2019s why we opted for drone flying to identify the Aedes breeding grounds in the city,\u201d Brig. Gen. Mohammad Zobaidur Rahman, chief health officer of Dhaka North City Corporation, told Arab News on Wednesday.
\nThe drive started on July 2 and will run until the whole city is mapped.
\nBased on drone footage, administration officials identify spots with stagnant water and visit the sites to assess if they are hazardous.
\n\u201cWe take still photos and videos of rooftops if there\u2019s found to be a dengue (mosquito) breeding place. Later on, our team visits those buildings in person and takes steps to clean the premises,\u201d Rahman said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very time saving and effective method, as we can monitor a huge area within a short span of time.\u201d
\nData obtained from drones is going to serve for future dengue-prevention efforts.
\n\u201cIn this way we are also making a database of every building in the city, which will make things easier for us in the next few years,\u201d Rahman said. \u201cOur aim is to make people aware about dengue breeding grounds. We don\u2019t want to penalize people. This drone flying has already brought some positive results. People have taken it very positively and in many cases are spontaneously cleaning their premises before our staffers reach their buildings.\u201d
\nWhile the flying of drones might raise concerns over privacy and surveillance, some residents see it as essential in addressing the dengue threat.
\n\u201cPeople have a tendency to ignore their social responsibilities,\u201d Enamul Huq, a 47-year-old resident of the Uttara area said. \u201cI think the local representatives of the city corporation should play a more active role in accelerating the ongoing drive against dengue.\u201d
\nFor Ishrat Jahan, a 32-year-old from the Gulshan area, monitoring should be expanded to waste management in the city, where half of trash is uncollected, adding to problems with pollution.
\n\u201cWe live in this city and it\u2019s our collective responsibility to keep the city clean and livable,\u201d she told Arab News. \u201cWith drone flying, now the city\u2019s dwellers will also find themselves under monitoring and come forward to clean their own buildings, and localities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DHAKA Facing an annual outbreak of dengue fever, the administration of Dhaka has introduced a fleet of drones to monitor the city for potential breeding sites of disease-spreading mosquitoes. Hot, humid and crowded, Bangladesh\u2019s sprawling capital struggles with swarms of mosquitoes due to its climate and unplanned urbanization. The breeding of insects becomes a major […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-270419","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n