More funds, little relief from dengue
Dhaka’s two city corporations have announced large budgets for the 2026–27 fiscal year, with dengue prevention among their key priorities. Yet infections and deaths continue to rise, raising questions over whether higher spending is translating into effective mosquito control.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Abdus Salam said the corporation had prepared a realistic and implementable Tk 4,004.60 crore budget for FY2026–27 without imposing additional taxes on residents.
Announcing the budget at Nagar Bhaban, he said priority had been given to balanced urban development, drainage improvement, dengue control and better civic services under the vision of a “Clean City, Green City”, reports UNB.
The new DSCC budget is higher than the Tk 3,841.38 crore originally allocated for FY2025–26. The revised budget for the outgoing fiscal year stood at Tk 3,138.77 crore.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), meanwhile, unveiled a Tk 4,527.74 crore budget for FY2026–27, also placing strong emphasis on drainage, dengue prevention, waste management and urban infrastructure.
DNCC Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan described the budget as a practical and development-oriented plan aligned with the government’s “Clean Dhaka, Green Dhaka” initiative. The corporation’s priorities include preventing waterlogging, repairing damaged roads, modernising drainage and manhole systems, improving waste collection, expanding the Aminbazar landfill and accelerating waste-to-energy projects.
It also plans to improve street lighting and road safety, modernise city markets and bus terminals, restore canals, expand tree plantation programmes and improve living conditions in slum areas.
Despite these commitments, dengue infections continue to remain a major public health concern.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 723 new dengue patients were hospitalised and two people died from the disease in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
Of the new patients, 112 were admitted in DSCC areas and 101 in DNCC areas. Another 107 cases were reported from Dhaka division outside the two city corporations.
Barishal recorded 101 hospitalisations, Chattogram 83, Khulna 98, Mymensingh 45, Rajshahi 63, Rangpur 12 and Sylhet one.
Since the beginning of this year, Bangladesh has recorded 21,550 dengue cases and 63 deaths.
Last year, dengue claimed 413 lives and infected 102,861 people, while in 2024 the disease killed 575 people and infected 101,214.
The figures have renewed questions over the effectiveness of mosquito-control programmes despite increasing expenditure and repeated commitments from city authorities.
Dengue no longer a Dhaka-only problem
Public health expert Prof Nazir Ahmed said dengue prevention efforts should not remain limited to DNCC and DSCC because the disease is increasingly spreading beyond the capital.
“Dengue prevention should not be confined to the two Dhaka city corporations. Measures must be taken across the country as the disease is spreading to neighbouring districts and rural areas,” he told The New Nation.
He said authorities were considering appointing entomologists in all 64 districts with support from local municipalities.
Plans are also being considered to establish training facilities at upazila level so doctors in remote areas can provide proper treatment to dengue patients with adequate logistical support.
Dengue prevention activities are already under way in areas including Savar and Belabo, he added.
Historical World Health Organization data also show how heavily Dhaka has borne the dengue burden. During the 2023 outbreak, Dhaka city corporations accounted for 52.8 per cent of reported cases and 78.9 per cent of deaths at one stage of the epidemic.
The WHO also found that the disease had spread to all 64 districts, highlighting that dengue had become a nationwide public health challenge rather than a problem confined to the capital.
Experts say the central challenge is therefore not only how much money is allocated, but whether mosquito-control programmes are evidence-based, properly monitored and implemented consistently throughout the year.
