Stagnant water creating mosquito havoc in Western Park
WESTERN PARK resident Hope Taylor is making a desperate cry for assistance as, she says, a stagnant pond is proving to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The pond developed as a result of water that has settled as it is unable to navigate the shrubs and the dirt that has gathered in the path that leads to the drain.
In an interview with The Gleaner, she said numerous attempts have been made to get the Clarendon Municipal Corporation to have a look at it and rectify the problem.
“I have a 102-year-old mother and a 96-year-old father that live next door to this pond. Mosquitoes kill us at night, and I am appealing to whoever is responsible for this area at Western Park,” she complained, adding that other residents have taken photos of the condition and sent the images to the corporation, but have got no response. The water which settles in the pond is also beginning to impact the road, with Taylor stating that her fear is that soon the road will be destroyed. “I am asking, I am pleading to whoever is responsible for Western Park community in May Pen to come and fix this drain. Senior citizens [are] in the district, mosquitoes gonna kill them around here,” she said.
The Gleaner reached out to Mayor of May Pen Winston Maragh, who said he is not aware of the problem.He also noted that the correction would have to come from the National Works Agency (NWA), as the matter does not fall under the responsibility of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation.
Pointing out it doesn’t take much to rectify the problem, Taylor said it is “just the path to be cleared”.
Communication and Customer Service Manager of the NWA, Stephen Shaw, in a response to The Gleaner’s query, said he is not aware of the situation and therefore a determination would have to be made whether the drain falls under the NWA or some other entity.
“If it does fall under NWA, we would have to seek funding in order to treat with same,”he noted.