President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s office said on Tuesday that members of the army, navy and air force would join a specialized task force responsible for identifying and eliminating mosquito breeding grounds across the country.

The move comes as health authorities reported nearly 50,000 dengue infections and 29 related deaths so far this year. While the figures remain below the country’s record 2017 outbreak, officials warned that the recent acceleration in case numbers poses a significant public health challenge.

Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, a species recognized by its black-and-white striped legs and known to breed in stagnant water. The disease can cause high fever, severe headaches, nausea, vomiting and muscle pain, while severe cases may lead to internal bleeding and death.

In a statement, the president’s office said authorities would intensify enforcement measures against individuals and institutions found to be allowing mosquito breeding sites on their properties.

“Laws will also be strictly enforced against those allowing mosquito breeding on their premises, in addition to setting up the special military unit,” the statement said.

A nationwide cleanup campaign targeting stagnant water and other mosquito breeding areas is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka has recorded a sharp increase in infections since early June, including more than 1,000 cases reported in a single day this week, according to official health data.

Kapila Kannangara, head of the government’s dengue control unit, said both public and private hospitals were already facing mounting pressure from the surge in patients.

“Hospitals are already under pressure,” Kannangara told reporters in Colombo. “We don’t want to have a situation like the one we faced in 2017.”

The country’s worst dengue epidemic occurred in 2017, when authorities recorded approximately 186,000 infections and 440 deaths, overwhelming healthcare facilities and prompting emergency response measures.

Health officials attributed the latest increase in cases to a combination of monsoon rains, stagnant water left behind by recent flooding and poor waste management practices that have created favorable breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

The World Health Organization has previously warned that climate change is contributing to the faster spread and broader geographic reach of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.

Farmers in the country’s haor wetlands, where much of the summer Boro paddy is cultivated, have been rushing to harvest ripe crops amid relentless rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, with many wading through knee-deep water to salvage partially submerged fields.“We’re trying to save whatever is still standing,” said Mohammad Al Amin, a farmer in Sunamganj district, describing the urgency as floodwaters continued to rise.

Authorities said continuous rainfall, combined with water inflows from India’s Meghalaya and Assam regions, had sharply increased the risk of flash floods in vulnerable districts.Large areas of cropland in Sunamganj, Sylhet, Kishoreganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar have already gone under water, according to local officials.

In several places, embankments were weakened or overtopped by sudden surges, allowing floodwaters to spill into paddy fields.Agriculture officials warned that even brief submergence at the current stage of crop maturity could significantly reduce yields, threatening both farmer incomes and national food security.

Heavy rainfall has also damaged vegetables and other crops, increasing concerns about supply shortages and possible price pressures in local markets.The Bangladesh Meteorological Department forecast further rainfall in the coming days, while disaster management officials warned that additional upstream flows could worsen flooding across the low-lying haor basin.

Farmers are also facing irrigation disruptions linked to diesel shortages following supply chain strains associated with the Iran conflict in the Middle East, adding to production challenges during the harvest season.

In urban areas, heavy rain has caused widespread waterlogging in the capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong, flooding roads, slowing traffic and straining already fragile drainage systems.Bangladesh, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, faces frequent river flooding and extreme weather events.

A 2015 World Bank Institute analysis estimated that around 3.5 million people are exposed to annual river floods, with scientists warning that climate change is intensifying such risks.

The country is the world’s third-largest rice producer and consumes most of its output domestically, but often turns to imports when floods or droughts disrupt supply.