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below Channel NewsAsia 20 Sep 05 NParks steps up plant pruning to rid mosquito-breeding spots By Valarie Tan Straits Times Online Forum 20 Sep 05 Unwise to cut trees just to tackle dengue problem Channel NewsAsia, 15 Sep 05 NParks considers removing trees, plants which may breed mosquitoes By Pearl Forss SINGAPORE : As the war against dengue continues in Singapore, the NParks is considering removing broad-leafed plants which may breed mosquitoes. But some nature lovers are against this. Clean stagnant water the size of a 20-cent coin is all the aedes mosquito needs to lay its eggs. While many people have been emptying the plates under their potted plants, pest companies say not enough attention has been paid to the plants themselves. Yet broad-leafed plants like palm trees or any plants with axils capable of trapping water, are all potential breeding sites. Harry Singh, Managing Director of Killem Pest, said: "To reduce the chances of water collection in plants, and other potential hazards, there are many ways to go about it. Those which are done manually tend to be more tedious, like sprinkling of granules onto the base of plants, broad-leaf plants, and areas which are inaccessible, we have to spray." But applying pesticides to palm trees is a time-consuming process. Given that there are thousands of palm trees all over Singapore, some say it is better to chop them off. "Yes it's dangerous actually, better to be removed." "As much as possible just to chop it off." "Many areas on my side, there are a lot of plants everywhere, even raining, there is a lot of mud, so I think that you all should do something about it." "For health reasons, maybe they should remove all the broad-leaf plants." On plans to remove broad-leafed plants which can breed mosquitoes, Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council says it is looking into it. Sembawang Town Council said it had already removed some of these plants, while Ang Mo Kio Town Council says it is monitoring the situation closely. But nature lovers say destroying these plants is too extreme. Goh Si Guim, Nature Lover, said: "I feel that removing trees and cutting trees is a drastic measure. We have spent millions of dollars over the last four decades greening Singapore, making Singapore a city in the garden. This is one step backward." In the last two years, NParks has cut down the travellers palm in Bishan twice. Simon John Longman, Director of Streetscape at NParks, said: "If the traveller palm is of concern to the resident and residential area, we will consider to cut it down, but some residents actually like it, so we will consider it carefully before cutting it down." NParks has also asked its contractors to trim the travellers palm every month instead of every two to three months. Holes in tree trunks is another concern. When alerted to these along Mount Pleasant Road, NParks workers filled it up with sand. But pest companies say sand can be easily removed when it rains, and is less effective than cement. NParks has 1.3 million trees under its care, and it has engaged 16 pest companies to make sure mosquito larvae are not breeding within its parks. Still, some schools are cancelling excursions to the parks because of the dengue threat. - CNA/de Straits Times Online Forum 20 Sep 05 Unwise to cut trees just to tackle dengue problem I refer to the National Parks Board's decision to remove trees and broad-leafed plants such as traveller's palms, which may collect water and breed mosquito larvae. This is an unwise and unnecessary move to combat dengue at the expense of greenery. Less harsh methods such as drilling holes in plant axils to drain off water would prevent water collection and breeding of mosquito larvae. Innovative and less destructive measures would definitely go a long way to deal with the current public health concerns and nature-lovers' interest. Chong Chee Seng Channel NewsAsia 20 Sep 05 NParks steps up plant pruning to rid mosquito-breeding spots By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia Related News SINGAPORE : NParks is stepping up palm tree pruning to get rid of mosquito breeding spots. Palm trees will now be pruned every month, instead of the previous two to three months. The dead leaves of the Traveller's Palm can trap water and become havens for mosquitoes to breed. Said Simon Longman, director of Streetscape at NParks: "The Traveller's palms, from the Strelitzia family, store water within the sheath where the base of the frond stems join the main trunk. The sheaths wrap over each other and are tightly sealed, storing water inside these sheaths. This isn't the problem until the fronds dry up or get old, and start to sag. Then the sheaths will open and with the water available, mosquito can breed in them." The Travellor's Palms can become a potential breeding spot if left unpruned but NParks says they have no plans to chop these trees off. Instead they will be stepping up their pruning to make sure there are no dead leaves left for mosquitoes to breed. Holes are also poked into sealed leaves to drain out excess water. Mother Nature also plays a part in stamping out the 'mossies.' "There are many pests that are predators of mosquito larvae. The gecko is one of them. Others include the various lizards, dragonfly larvae and damsel fly larvae. In a way, nature keeps the number of mosquitoes in check," said Longman. NParks will also look out for unpruned palms under the care of private compounds and contact them to prune the plants soon. - CNA /ls links Related articles on Singapore: dengue issues, policies, discussions |
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