Mayor warns of dengue outbreak in Central

Mayor Orlando Nagessar has said that 260 cases of dengue have been reported in Central Trinidad in recent times. He was speaking with the media on Monday after the monthly statutory meeting of the Chaguanas Borough Corporation at the old borough hall on Cumberbatch Street.

The areas in which the mosquito-borne disease was reported include Longdenville, Edinburgh 500, Montrose, Lange Park and Cunupia. The mayor said spraying was scheduled to start yesterday with an education programme on dengue prevention.

Nagessar said he believes that the health authorities should engage in aerial spraying to control the mosquito population in abandoned lands, especially canefields that were under the control of Caroni (1975) Ltd, and that a new insecticide needs to be used, since the mosquito population may have grown immune to the chemicals being used at present.  

Nagessar also said a contractor who undertook work at Edinburgh Gardens Recreation Ground would not be paid until it is up to standard, especially since the area is used by the Blind Welfare Association. He said a contractor on the same ground installed lights without shades and the borough's patience was running thin with shoddy work.  

Deputy Mayor Gopaul Boodhan said the borough needs additional litter wardens to patrol areas which were illegally used as dumping grounds for garbage in Cunupia, Endeavour and Enterprise. Boodhan also knocked the residents of Lange Park who discard tree cuttings on the side of the road.

He said litter wardens are needed to inform the residents of Lange Park about their illegal activities. Boodhan said the borough suffers from a management problem and the CEO must take the blame. Nagessar was told at the meeting that the vehicle used by the litter wardens to monitor the borough was unavailable at times because borough workers used it to run errands and buy doubles. Ther mayor said it was the first time he had heard this and promised to ensure it would never happen again.