On an average, 18 flights take off from the terminal a day. Those flying to different parts of the country have no option but to put up with the mosquitoes in the terminal while waiting to board the craft.

"One can't stand still for a minute but wriggle about to get the mosquitoes off," said Shariful Islam, a passenger coming from Jessore, adding that diseases like malaria or dengue are inevitable.

Tahsina Shabnam, another passenger felt embarrassed in the presence of foreigners because of the mosquito menace. "It is unimaginable! What would they think of Bangladesh?" she said. Shabnam said the authorities should immediately address the problem, as not only countrymen but also international travellers use the domestic terminal.

Things are worse for those waiting outside to receive passengers. It is bearable to an extent during the day but once darkness sets in the mosquitoes increase. "I can neither sit in the car nor wait outside because of the mosquitoes," said Shamim Hossain, a private car driver.

The supervisor on-duty Ashrafuddin admitted that the mosquito menace has increased within the terminal. "It is incredible how the numbers increased in the past few weeks," he said.

When asked if regular larvicide is sprayed on the adjacent water body, Asharafuddin said the water is not dirty. However, he said the authorities have requested the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) to take necessary action in this regard.

"We spray Aerosol every evening inside the terminal building. But mosquitoes seem to be immune to such measures," said an on-duty cleaner. He said DCC people were frequent visitors to the terminal to take action to curb the mosquito menace ahead of the Saarc summit. He said he was not sure if they (the DCC) are supposed to visit the terminal regularly, but they do show up when they are requested to do so.