Debated in Parliament on 8 Jul 2013.
Ms Mary Liew asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources what are the plans of the Ministry to intensify efforts in inspecting and clearing blocked public drains which are potential breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquitoes.
Before I answer Ms Mary Liew's question, I would like to provide an update to the House on the current dengue situation. Singapore is currently in the grip of our worst dengue epidemic, with more than 12,000 cases diagnosed so far. Four persons in Singapore have also passed away after succumbing to dengue shock syndrome. There are currently 77 active dengue clusters, out of which 29 are clusters with 10 or more reported cases.
My Ministry and NEA agree with Ms Mary Liew that source reduction, which denies Aedes mosquitoes a place to breed, is key towards breaking the dengue transmission chain and stemming the epidemic. Last month, NEA announced its plan to recruit another 300 more officers to augment the existing 850 full-time officers deployed across Singapore to carry out inspections of private and public premises for possible breeding sites. NEA also coordinates whole-of-Government dengue control efforts across agencies for infrastructure and assets under their purview through the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force.
NEA, together with PUB and the Town Councils (TCs), note that public drains can be a possible mosquito breeding site when pockets of stagnant water form as a result of drains choked from leaves or litter. Currently, our public drains are cleaned and inspected on a regular basis for flood prevention and public hygiene reasons, including source reduction. Drains under PUB's maintenance are checked weekly, and debris, litter and shed leaves are removed promptly during such checks. Drains are also flushed periodically to remove silt, and the frequency of flushing depends on the rate of siltation in the drains. On average, roadside drains in public housing estates are flushed about once every two to three months.
Since January 2013, we have stepped up the cleaning and inspection schedules for areas with reported and suspected dengue cases in view of the current dengue epidemic. Drains in active dengue clusters identified by NEA are checked and flushed twice a week, and PUB and TCs also apply larvicides in
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situations where there will be water in the drain by design. We have also provided assistance to the TCs by providing technical advice as well as training TC officers in mosquito control knowledge and supervision of pest control operator performance.
Nonetheless, choked drains can form quickly after a rainstorm due to shed leaves and litter, and we encourage members of the public to provide feedback to the Department of Public Cleanliness should they spot any choked drains. We also urge the public not to litter, as litter may flow into our public drains after a rainstorm and lead to choked drains.
PAPERCUTS