DBKK crackdown on dirty compounds
Published on: Thursday, February 22, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
The joint City Hall-KKHO team taking note of the discarded items piled up in this open space.
CITY HALL is cracking down on homeowners who pile up rubbish inside their compounds, or outside their fences, as these discarded objects have the potential to become a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes.
Two Likas rate-payers were taken to task for such messes during a recent joint dengue operation, carried out by the agency and the Kota Kinabalu Health Office (KKHO), in Taman Kemajuan and Kg Cenderamata Dua.
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A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Environmental Health Department (EHD) said one of the pair was compounded under the agency’s Anti-Litter By-Laws 1984.
She declined to specify the amount of the penalty but said those who contravened the By-Laws could be served with a compound for as much as RM500.
In extreme cases, the offenders could wind up in court, according to her.
KKHO staff taking a closer look at the fluid contained in this empty rice pot.
“If found guilty, they face the possibility of being slapped with a fine for as much as RM10,000,” she said.
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She said the other Likas resident was notified about the presence of the empty paint buckets which were spotted behind her house.
“This individual was given stern instructions to get rid of these receptacles.
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“She was further warned that such refuse had the potential to become a habitat for Aedes mosquitoes which could trigger a dengue outbreak in the area.”
The spokeswoman said the rate-payer was given a grace-period to clean up her surroundings.
“Non-compliance may see her facing legal action, under the Local Government Ordinance (Amendment 2000), with a fine of up to RM1,000 imposed if she is found guilty.
“Alternatively, she may have to spend up to six months behind bars for allowing the mess inside their yards to become a public nuisance.”
On top of the EHD, the spokeswoman personnel with several City Hall Departments – including Solid Waste Management, Enforcement, Traffic and Transport and Landscaping – participated in the Operation.
Staff from the government concessionaire and Unit Pemimpin Pembangunan Masyarakat (UPPM)’ (Community Development Leader’s Unit) for Darau were also present, according to her.
She said a 39-man strong team inspected Taman Kemajuan and Kg Cenderamata Dua.
The spokeswoman said all those in attendance were keen to get the word out to the local communities about the importance of keeping the number of mosquitoes in their respective areas to a minimum.
“Inspectors with our Vector Control Division (VCD) engaged with the public briefing them on concerns about dengue fever and providing advice on how to avoid inadvertently creating mosquito habitats.
“Personnel with our Solid Waste Management Department, on the other hand, briefed the residents on City Hall’s guidelines as regards the disposal of garden trimmings, on the need to have a dustbin and on its prepaid collection service for bulk and garden waste.”
She said City Hall’s landscaping workers joined forces with their counterparts from the government concessionaire to unclog some of the drains at both locations.
“Our Traffic and Transport peers also repaired the relevant signs in these areas.”
A KKHO spokesman said its personnel scrutinised the fluids collecting in various objects, including among bulk waste and flowerpots, around Taman Kemajuan and Kampung Cenderamata Dua.
“No larvae were spotted on the surface of the water so no samples were taken in this instance,” he said.
“However, our inspectors did destroy several items which were considered to be potential mosquito breeding grounds.”
A VCD Inspector pouring the ‘larvicide’ powder on the surface of the rainwater which had collected in these containers at the vacant lot in Teck Guan Villa.
Meanwhile, City Hall carried out “larvaciding” at a vacant lot in Teck Guan Villa around the same time, following feedback about rainwater collecting in some of the empty containers on the property.
The spokeswoman said its VCD personnel found that the house which used to stand on the lot in question had been torn down, when they went to the neighbourhood.
“They observed the presence of a plastic water tank, lying among the debris, on the grounds. This receptacle was full of water,” she said.
“Some powder was poured over the surface of the fluid to kill any mosquito larvae breeding inside.”
She said a notice was later affixed to the front gate to the property, instructing the owner to get rid of any empty containers on the premises in which runoff might collect during a downpour.
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