‘Local mosquito tech shows potential’

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said a locally developed mosquito control technology could offer a promising alternative to existing methods, which have produced limited results.

Speaking virtually at a programme on mosquito control technology organised by Youth to World at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka on Monday, the minister said technologies currently in use have not been very effective in controlling mosquitoes.

He said a joint initiative involving the city corporations and innovators could prove successful if the newly developed technology, based on domestic chemicals, is introduced on a trial basis.

However, Fakhrul emphasised that the immediate priority during the ongoing dengue and chikungunya season should be the destruction of mosquito larvae.

He said eliminating breeding grounds remains the most effective way to reduce mosquito populations and curb the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.