In the densely populated informal settlements of Mumbai, a local waste-for-food initiative led by 27-year-old social entrepreneur Shakti Yadav is combining environmental cleanup efforts with food distribution in communities affected by poor sanitation and limited access to nutrition.

Yadav, founder of the “Buy Food with Plastic” initiative, operates a system in which residents exchange discarded plastic bottles for prepared meals. According to the programme’s operating model, 20 plastic bottles are accepted in return for one hot meal.The initiative, launched in 2020, has so far distributed more than 42,000 meals, supported approximately 4,500 people and conducted sustainability awareness activities involving over 1,000 students, according to figures cited in the report.

Yadav said the project was shaped by his own experience growing up in a Mumbai slum, where seasonal flooding and poor waste management created recurring public health risks.“During the monsoons, sewage water would flood the streets,” he said. “People had to wade through it because discarded plastic choked the drains.”

According to Yadav, blocked drainage systems contributed to repeated outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue and malaria, in vulnerable neighbourhoods. His initiative was designed to address what he described as two interconnected urban challenges: unmanaged plastic waste and food insecurity.The programme operates through a circular collection and redistribution model.

Plastic bottles collected from participating residents are transferred to recycling facilities, where some workers are recruited from the same communities supplying the waste. The recycled material is then repurposed into products including flowerpots and tea coasters, which are later sold to companies, including international corporations.

Mumbai, India’s financial capital and one of the country’s most densely populated cities, generates thousands of tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. Plastic waste management has remained a major challenge for urban authorities, particularly during monsoon periods when clogged drainage infrastructure increases flood risks in low-income settlements.

Yadav said the project was inspired by a similar initiative operating in the United States. He contacted the founder of that programme and developed his own local adaptation focused on conditions in Mumbai’s informal settlements.An MBA graduate and the first member of his family to pursue higher education, Yadav initially managed the project while working in a corporate job.

He later left full-time employment to focus entirely on expanding the initiative.The transition initially faced resistance within his family. According to the report, Yadav’s mother questioned the sustainability of non-profit work and believed such efforts were generally undertaken by financially secure individuals or organizations.Yadav said he eventually persuaded her by demonstrating how the programme could simultaneously reduce waste accumulation and improve food access in underserved communities.

The meals distributed through the initiative are intended to support residents in slum areas where access to affordable and nutritious food remains inconsistent. By linking food distribution with waste collection, the programme also attempts to incentivize recycling participation among residents who may otherwise lack formal waste disposal options.

Environmental awareness has become another component of the initiative’s outreach strategy. Yadav and his team regularly visit schools and residential communities to conduct educational sessions focused on sustainability and waste disposal practices.“Previously, nobody told me that throwing plastic away was harmful,” Yadav said, describing the lack of environmental education during his childhood.

The awareness campaigns target younger audiences in particular, with organizers seeking to promote behavioural changes related to littering, recycling and environmental responsibility.The initiative’s visibility has expanded beyond Mumbai in recent years. According to the report, Yadav represented India in Germany during a programme focused on sustainability and climate change research.

He was also awarded the 2023 Cross-Cultural Program Fellowship.The project currently operates in selected slum clusters across Mumbai, although Yadav said he intends to expand its reach across additional parts of the city.Urban policy experts have increasingly emphasized the relationship between waste management, flooding and public health risks in Indian metropolitan regions.

During annual monsoon periods, low-income settlements often experience disproportionate exposure to waterlogging and sanitation failures due to inadequate drainage systems and high concentrations of unmanaged waste.

Plastic waste has become a central issue in municipal governance discussions across India, particularly after several state governments introduced restrictions on single-use plastics and expanded recycling regulations in recent years. Enforcement and waste segregation, however, remain inconsistent across many urban districts.

Programmes such as “Buy Food with Plastic” operate outside formal municipal systems but increasingly form part of localized efforts aimed at combining environmental management with social welfare objectives.The initiative also reflects a growing trend among younger social entrepreneurs in India seeking hybrid solutions that combine recycling, employment generation and food distribution.

By connecting waste collection with direct community incentives, such models attempt to address both environmental and economic pressures simultaneously.Yadav said his long-term objective remains focused on improving conditions within communities similar to the one where he was raised.

“My goal is to eradicate both plastic waste and hunger,” he said.

The alarming statistics also reveal that there have been over 200,000 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease.

The number of deaths this year alone surpasses the cumulative death toll from dengue fever in Bangladesh since 2000 when the country recorded its first outbreak. Be-Nazir Ahmed, the former director of the agency, expressed concern over the magnitude of the health crisis, describing it as a “massive health event” not only in Bangladesh but also globally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been closely monitoring the situation and has acknowledged the strain it is placing on Bangladesh’s healthcare system. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated last month that the outbreak was exerting “huge pressure on the health system” in the country.

Dengue fever is a disease endemic to tropical regions, characterized by symptoms such as high fevers, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and, in severe cases, bleeding that can lead to death. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti species.

The WHO has raised concerns about the spread of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases like chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, attributing their increased prevalence and geographic reach to climate change. As temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, mosquitoes are able to thrive in new regions, exposing larger populations to these diseases.

Efforts to combat the dengue outbreak in Bangladesh have been underway, with authorities implementing various measures to control mosquito populations and educate the public about prevention strategies. These include mosquito control programs, public awareness campaigns, and community engagement initiatives.

International organizations, including the WHO, have pledged support to Bangladesh in addressing the outbreak. Assistance includes technical expertise, financial aid, and the provision of medical supplies and equipment.

The situation in Bangladesh serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global efforts to combat mosquito-borne diseases. As climate change continues to reshape the world’s ecosystems, it is crucial for governments, communities, and international organizations to collaborate on preventive measures, research, and healthcare infrastructure to mitigate the impact of these diseases on vulnerable populations.

The Bangladesh government is expected to continue its efforts to contain the outbreak, while international support and cooperation will play a critical role in addressing the country’s dengue crisis and preventing further loss of life.

The World Health Organization recently warned that diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever caused by mosquito-borne viruses are spreading faster and further because of climate change.

So far this year, 778 people in Bangladesh have died and 157,172 have been infected, according to the government’s Directorate General Health Services. The U.N. children’s agency says the actual numbers are higher because many cases are not reported.

The previous highest number of deaths was in 2022, when 281 people are reported to have died during the entire year.

Dengue is common in tropical areas and causes high fevers, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and, in the most serious cases, internal bleeding that leads to death.

Mohammed Niatuzzaman, director of the state-run Mugda Medical College Hospital in Dhaka, said Thursday that Bangladesh is struggling to cope with the outbreak because of a lack of a “sustainable policy” and because many do not know how to treat it.

Outside Dhaka and other big cities, medical professionals including nurses need better training in handling dengue cases, he said.

He said authorities should include groups like city corporations and local governments in the fight against dengue, and researchers should study how to prepare for future outbreaks.

Some residents of Dhaka are unhappy with the authorities.

“Our house is in an area which is at risk of dengue. It has a higher quantity of waste and garbage. I’m cautious and use a mosquito net. Despite that, my daughter caught dengue,” said Zakir Hassain, a resident of Dhaka’s Basabo area.

“What will happen to those who are unaware? If the city corporation or ward commissioner took more care and sprayed insecticides, then we could have avoided the dengue outbreak,” he said.

Experts say monsoon season could exacerbate the outbreak in the country of more than 160 million people.

Bangladesh is struggling to deal with higher casualties and infections from dengue this year, with officials warning that the death toll this month could break records.

The government’s Directorate General of Health Services reports the 2023 death toll from the mosquito-born illness has reached 364 in the south Asian country. More than 78,000 people have been infected since January this year, it said.

Officials warn that the number of deaths and infections this month could set a new, grim record. In the first 10 days of August, more than 23,000 people were diagnosed with dengue, compared to 43,854 cases during all of July. More than 100 people have died so far this month, over a third as many deaths from the illness during all of last year.

In 2022, 62,382 people were infected and 281 people died of dengue, according to government figures.

Dengue causes flu-like symptoms that most people recover from, but also can rapidly lead to internal bleeding, organ failure and even death. There generally is no specific treatment for the disease, but vaccines are available Other countries, such as Cyprus and Bolivia, also have seen outbreaks this year.

Experts say monsoon season could exacerbate the outbreak in the country of more than 160 million people. Intermittent rains in August is one of the major reasons for the outbreak, according to experts. Many people work outside on Bangladesh’s numerous construction projects, including residential and big infrastructure projects across the capital city of Dhaka.

Infected people are overwhelming hospitals across the country, but some doctors and nurses are not sufficiently experienced, or trained, in how to treat dengue cases, experts say.

Mohammed Niatuzzaman, Director of Mugdha Medical Collage Hospital, said on Thursday that they were struggling to provide critical support to serious patients who have other ailments. Many of the critical patients are dying, he said.

People with immune suppression — like cancer patients — or people with co-morbidities like diabetes, kidney dialysis or organ transplants are particularly vulnerable, he said.

“People who have weaker immune system are at higher risk to be infected multiple times by a virulent variant (of dengue),” he said.

The Ministry of Health has arranged extra beds in state-run hospitals in Dhaka and outside, but a shortage of IV saline has become a challenge. The authorities have asked the manufacturers to increase their production of IV fluid.

Niatuzzaman said it’s critical to fight the disease on multiple fronts.

“It must start from individual level and rise to our collective effort. Doctors are only a part of it. If we work together and everybody shows awareness and acts responsibly, our collective effort will make dengue prevention possible,” he said.

Two city corporations in Dhaka opened emergency teams to coordinate anti-mosquito drive and urged the residents to be aware of the breeding possibilities of Aedes mosquitoes, which thrive in the region.

Mobile teams have been deployed to search homes to see if water is stored where mosquitoes could breed.

But local residents gave the government effort mild reviews.

Salma Jahan, a Dhaka resident and mother of a Dengue patient, said that she was worried.

“The government took a lot of measures last time. They applied insecticide in a lot of water bodies and its surroundings in our area. They also went to people’s houses and applied liquid insecticide on drains and dirty places. We still have such places but no insecticide is being applied,” she said, questioning whether the treatments are even effective.

The teams come with insecticide every few days, she added, “but mosquitoes don’t die from it.”

At least 293 people have died so far in 2023 and nearly 61,500 infected, according to official figures, making this the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in 2000.

Hospitals, especially in capital Dhaka, are struggling to find space for the large number of patients suffering high fever, joint pain and vomiting, health officials said.

The government has launched initiatives to limit the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, from awareness campaigns to efforts to kill mosquito larvae following a spell of rains, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said.

“Since we came here, the doctors and nurses told us that they cannot provide us with a proper bed, but if we stay, they would treat us. We had no other choice but to arrange things on the floor for my mother and sister,” Shariful Islam told Reuters television as he watched over his family members in a government hospital in Dhaka.

There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season, when the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the deadly virus thrives in stagnant water.

Experts said they expect to get more cases through August and September. This year’s deaths already top the previous record of 281 from last year, with the number of people infected just behind the 62,423 cases of 2022.

Early detection and access to proper medical care can reduce deaths to fewer than 1% of sufferers.

“When the pre-monsoon rains started in April, so did the Aedes mosquito breeding. The virus had already spread within the community, therefore, it was also being transmitted,” said Kabirul Bashar, professor of entomology at Jahangirnagar University.

“This is the reason why we saw such a high number of dengue cases in July. This will probably increase further in August and September,” he said.

Dr Yasir Arafat, Save the Children’s senior health and nutrition advisor for Asia, said: “Across Asia, extreme weather events are throwing the lives of children into disarray and this alarming surge in severe dengue outbreaks is just another issue impacting their physical and mental health.”

At least 201 people, more than half of them in the capital Dhaka, have died and more than 37,000 have become infected with the virus so far this year, according to official figures.

In 2022, the virus claimed 281 lives, a record high since the authorities started keeping a tally in 2000, and 62,423 people were infected, the figures showed.

Hospitals, especially in Dhaka, are struggling to find space for the high caseload of patients suffering high fever, joint pain and vomiting, health officials said.

There is no vaccine or drug that specifically treats dengue, which is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season as the Aedes aegypti mosquito which spreads the disease thrives in stagnant water.

Early detection and access to proper medical care, however, can reduce deaths to fewer than 1% of sufferers.

The government has launched initiatives to limit the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, from awareness campaigns to efforts to kill mosquito larvae following the current spell of rains, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said.

Renowned Bangladeshi physician ABM Abdullah told Reuters that early diagnosis was also key.

“Aedes aegypti mosquito has evolved, and virus now does not cause critical symptoms in many cases,” he said. “Because of this, people often ignore it, but the disease must be diagnosed early so that people can be treated before it gets complicated.”