City keeping tabs on used tyre hazards at Sabah Trade Centre
Published on: Wednesday, January 18, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
A VCD staff notes the presence of the used tyres on the road leading to the Sabah Trade Centre in Likas.
City Hall is keeping an eye on the roads near the Sabah Trade Centre, as well as those around several residential and commercial properties in Inanam, to ensure that used tyres are not strewn in the common areas here.A spokeswoman for its Environmental Health Department said these items were liable to have a negative impact on the well-being of those living and working at these locations.
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“Rainwater collecting inside the tyres could make them a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes,” she said.
“Various places within our rating area have already become a hotbed for dengue.
“To counter a further escalation of such cases, we are making a concerted effort to prevent more Aedes habitats from springing up around Kota Kinabalu.”
She was responding to observations about the used tyres placed on the stretch leading to the parking area in front of the Trade Centre.
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These items were also spotted on some road shoulders in Kg Warisan, Taman Puri Warisan and beside Inanam Point.
The spokeswoman said staff with the agency’s Vector Control Division went to the Trade Centre last week after learning about what was transpiring.
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“They noted that most of the tyres were being used to deter drivers from leaving their vehicles haphazardly along the stretch to the main entrance for the building.
“One of these items, however, was found thrown on a drain reserve on the periphery of the parking area.”
She said the inspectors subsequently met with employees at the company which was managing the parking area.
The latter were informed about City Hall’s concerns about the tyres, according to her.
“They were asked to speak to their employer about having these items removed. A notice to this affect was given to them.”
The spokeswoman said the owner of the firm came to the Department’s office a few days later.
“He explained that traffic cones had previously been placed on the road but they had either gone missing or were damaged by careless drivers.
“Because of this he had resorted to using tyres.”
She said this individual eventually agreed to modify these items, including having them perforated.
“He assured us that cement would also be poured into the tyres to prevent water from collecting inside.”
In most cases, the agency generally required that these items be cleared away, according to the spokeswoman.
She warned that action could be taken, under the Local Government Ordinance 1961 (Amendment 2000), against those who failed to abide with these instructions.
“Non-compliance may see the offenders facing court action, with a fine of up to RM1,000 imposed if they are found guilty.
“Alternatively, they may have to spend up to six months behind bars for creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes which could become a nuisance.”
A spokesman for the agency’s Solid Waste Management Department said used tyres were often construed as litter.
“An open truck was recently deployed to Kg Warisan, Taman Puri Warisan and Inanam Point to assist our staff in removing the tyres from the government land in these areas,” he said.
“Our staff noted the presence of these items when they participated in the joint Dengue Operation between City Hall and the Kota Kinabalu Health Office last month.”
Under City Hall’s by-laws, those caught haphazardly disposing of used tyres could be slapped with a compound for as much as RM500, according to him.
HASSAN of Likas felt that it was a bad idea for the company, managing the parking area in front of the Sabah Trade Centre, to block off the spaces along the road to the building with used tyres.
“I have noticed an increase in the number of mosquitoes around the eatery which operates near the main entrance to the Trade Centre,” he said.
“I take my breakfast at this premises regularly before going into work.”
Hassan suspected that these insects might be breeding in the rainwater which was trapped inside the tyres.
“I hope that the local authorities will do something about these foreign objects before anyone working at the Trade Centre comes down with dengue fever.”
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