Drain behind RC Panadura - a potential dengue breeding ground

The massive drain behind Royal College, Panadura is a potential dengue breeding ground, parents of students in the school claimed yesterday.

The parents said the fever was fast spreading these days and that a breeding ground in the vicinity of the school was not only a danger to the students but also to the teachers and other staff.

“We hope the authorities will take necessary measures to clear this up as soon as possible,” a parent said.

Students who returned after term holidays are severely inconvenienced by the drain. Residents in the area too complained that the drain had not been cleared over a long period of time.

Residents said the water was stagnant in the drain, as one side of it had been sealed off. “The water has nowhere to flow. It is not only the danger of being a dengue breeding ground that we are facing, it is also the stench emanating from it that is unbearable,” a resident said.

When contacted both the Panadura Pradeshiya Sabha and the Panadura Municipal Council said that construction and renovation of the drain did not come under their purview. However, the Panadura Municipality said they were charged with cleaning the area as well as the drain.

The water has nowhere to flow. It is not only the danger of being a dengue breeding ground that we are facing, it is also the stench emanating from it that is unbearable