Vehicles seized for breaking traffic rules make their ways to nine temporary dumping grounds in the capital.

Water collects in the cars dumped haphazardly dumped at these grounds whenever it rains, making them ideal places for Aedes mosquitoes responsible for transmission of the dengue virus to breed.

After dengue broke out in Dhaka, the authorities in charge of the dumping grounds have themselves taken initiative to spray the premises with insecticides to destroy Aedes larvae breeding here along with the help of city corporation authorities.

The effort has gone in vain.

Police officers in charge at these working grounds said that the mosquitoes come out in large numbers at night.

“We have to light at least two to three coils during each shift and need to wear full-sleeve shirts even in this heat to save ourselves from the insect bites,” they said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (traffic) Mir Rezaul Alam told Bangla Tribune that the dumping grounds were being regularly sprayed with insecticides to stop Aedes from breeding there and additional forces of around 20 to 22 policemen have been deployed to oversee management there.

Spot visits to two dumping grounds situated in Agargaon on Tuesday (Aug 20) revealed that the scenario has changed quite a bit at these places compared to the past.

While the places used to be littered with trash and wildly growing bushes, they have recently been cleaned up significantly in recent times.

However, the very fact that unused trucks, private cars, three-wheeler utility vehicles and CNG‑run auto-rickshaws continue to be strewn about the place under the open sky making all efforts at checking the breeding of Aedes mosquito quite futile.

The roofs of the vehicles rust in the heat and rain consequently collecting water in them during rain. Thereby, the Aedes continues to breed here.

Constable Mizanur Rahman, who was deployed at the dumping station adjoining the Government Music College in Agargaon, said that this ground housed every other vehicle apart from motorcycles and most of them have been dumped here ages ago, making them old and rusted.

The place becomes infested with mosquitoes at night and the insects begin to throng the place soon after dusk, he said.

Sub-inspector (traffic) Anisur Rahman who is in charge of both dumping stations in Agargaon said that they had place written sprayed with insecticides after writing to the city corporation authorities while the places have been cleaned of bushes and trashes to check breeding of mosquitoes.

Deputy Police Commissioner (traffic) of the West Division Md Jashimuddin Molla said that they initiatives to clean up the dumping grounds were underway and will continue to keep them clean.