Local authorities to be penalised in anti-dengue op

the star

BY LOH FOON FONG

PETALING JAYA: In an unprecedented move to battle the dengue scourge, the Health Ministry will fine local authorities if they fail to clean up areas under their care.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subra­maniam said that the ministry would penalise the local authorities under the Destruction of Disease Bearing Insect Act 1975 if their areas were found to be breeding mosquitoes.

“If we find the absence of action by the local authorities contributed to breeding of mosquitoes, our ­ministry will take action against them,” he said during a spot check in Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara here yesterday.

Dr Subramaniam said the ministry would not hesitate to act against the local authorities if they conti­nued to turn a blind eye to cleanliness issues.

Deputy health director-general Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman said no fines had been imposed against errant government departments until now.

From January to June 20, Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara, which covers a 162ha area, made up of mainly flats, condominiums, residential areas and squatter areas, had reported 288 dengue cases with two deaths.

Pointing to the sites where people had dumped rubbish, including the river, Dr Subramaniam said the local authorities had not done well in garbage collection.

“Whatever measures we take will not succeed if the local authorities and residents do not take this seriously and change their attitude,” he said.

A resident in Jalan Cempaka, Husin Chea, 56, said garbage bins provided by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) were not enough and garbage collection was not frequent enough although it was done regularly.

He said the presence of many foreigners in the area also added to the bulk of the garbage, adding that outsiders were also throwing rubbish into their neighbourhood.

More needs to be done in Kayu Ara

PETALING JAYA: The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has admitted that work needs to be done in Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara although the garbage situation has improved in the last two years following efforts to clean up the area.

MBPJ Solid Waste Manage­ment Department director Lee Lih Shyan said they had placed six huge garbage bins along Jalan Cempaka for the community there.

Although it was adequate according to the number of residents, he said illegal dumping of waste by outsiders posed a challenge.

“We are in the midst of solving the problem as we discovered it last year and we are doing our best to solve the issue,” he said, adding that the contractor had been collecting the bulk garbage three times a week.

Lee said this following Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subra­maniam’s comment that the local authorities had failed to address the garbage problem in Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara.

Dr Subramaniam said he would do spot checks once every two weeks in areas with high dengue cases in the country.

Lee also said that vacant idle land and illegal recycling activities also posed a challenge to the garbage issue there.

He said traders tended to leave their garbage indiscriminately after sorting out and taking only things they wanted.