DHAKA, April 9, 2023 (BSS) - Local Government Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam today said the government is taking various preventive measures to reduce the number of dengue patients to zero in the upcoming monsoon season. 

"Although our country's dengue situation is comparatively better than many countries . . . We are working to reduce the number of dengue cases to zero," the minister told the first inter-ministerial meeting of the year on mosquito-borne disease prevention and water-logging in the coming monsoon season.

Held at the conference room of the Local Government Department, the minister presided over the first inter-ministerial meeting of 2023 for reviewing the activities of the City Corporation and other Ministries, Departments, Offices and Organizations to prevent mosquito-borne diseases across the country. 

The meeting also reviewed various measures to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, the preparations and action plans of the City Corporations to resolve the water logging of Dhaka and Chittagong City Corporation during the upcoming monsoon season, an official release said. 

The minister informed the meeting that in the last two months the number of dengue patients in Singapore was 1,962, 17,388 in Malaysia and 14,989 in Sri Lanka while in last three months, number of dengue patients in Bangladesh was 875.

The meeting put emphasis on taking necessary measures including digging 35 canals under Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) to make those rivers water flow suitable.

Speaking at the meeting, Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, said in line with the ministry's directives, the DSCC authority is working for freeing the illegal encroachments and making the water flow smooth. Preparation has been taken to remove water-logging in most places of DSCC within half an hour this year.

Among others, Chittagong City Corporation Mayor Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Local Government Department Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim, Disaster Management and Relief Ministry Secretary Md Kamrul Hasan, Housing and Public Works Ministry Secretary Kazi Washi Uddin, MD of Dhaka WASA Taksin A Khan along with senior officials concerned were also present there.