Dear Friends,
OVERVIEW
“How long does it take mosquito larvae to fly? About 2 – 3 days!”
The recent reports in our local papers of a significant rise in dengue cases should be a great concern for all of us. The quantity of irresponsibly discarded cans and bottles picked up by our volunteers should strike a bell for us to wake up to the possible cause for the rise in dengue.
We have been told that mosquito breeding does not need a lot of water and mosquito larvae, also known as ‘wrigglers’ live in many types of water (fresh, brackish and saltwater) and female mosquitoes lay eggs inside containers holding water and it does not take long (about 2-3 days) for a pupae to develop into adult flying mosquitoes. So a discarded can, bottle, cup or even a plastic bag with some water in them left unattended to especially when hidden in bushes or under a sheltered area, a pavilion for example, will certainly be a grave potential breeding place for mosquitoes.
For this reason, everyone should be responsible to ensure that these items are not discarded indiscriminately. This is a social responsibility to be exercised by all and the need cannot be overemphasised. Both the public users and park cleaners must do their part diligently and with a view to ensure the hygiene and safety for all is upheld.
This week has been a relatively a short one in view of the long weekend but, nevertheless, the following activities were done:
- We conducted 4 CSR programmes, a kayak, pedal boat, foot and boat clean up activities for a total of 68 participants and they were from Credit Suisse, DBS, Daraz and Salesforce respectively. They collected a total of 113 kg of litter.
- We conducted a Boat tour for 6 frontline workers. This was done as a gesture of appreciation for their work done during the pandemic.
- This week a total of 72 members were involved for CSR/VIA programmes, talks, patrols, administration and housekeeping duties and the total trash collected = 141 kg.
- Boat Patrol. A total of 4 Boat patrols were carried out; 3 at Punggol and 1 at Lakeside.
- Bike Patrol. A total of 3 Bike patrols were carried out; 1 each at Marina, Punggol and Lakeside.
- Foot Patrol. We conducted 1 Foot Patrol at Pang Sua.
- Pedal boat Patrol. No Pedal Boat patrol was conducted at Marina.
- Virtual Orientation for New Applicants. This was conducted for 13 new members at Marina.
ACTIVITIES AND REPORT
1. Educational Programmes
2. Volunteer Patrols & Activities
a. Marina
b. Punggol
c. Lakeside
d. Pang Sua Pond
e. Yishun Pond Patrol
