Panadura, Bandaragama residents lament about possible dengue outbreak

They said the terminal disease would raise its ugly head unless legal action was not taken against the owners of neglected land

Residents of Panadura and Bandaragama areas expressed concern about a possible breakout of Dengue fever due to the neglected land covered with shrubs and dilapidated storm water drains filled with stagnant water creating mosquito breeding grounds.

They said the terminal disease would raise its ugly head unless legal action was not taken against the owners of neglected land. They pointed out that the side drains without concrete covers in the town and in several by-roads prevented the free flow of storm water and created mosquito breeding grounds. A resident of Wanduramulla, Srinanda Godamune (58) pointed out that abandoned land covered with shrub jungle were being used as dumping grounds and added to it was the storm water drains filled with stagnant water that created mosquito breeding grounds.

“The danger is further aggravated by abandoned blocks of land purchased from property sales companies. Hundreds of blocked out land along the by-roads in Panadura and Bandaragama area have created Dengue mosquito breeding grounds but the vast stretches of abandoned land that were being used as dumping grounds by the families living near them regardless of its serious threat to public health. The dumping ground with nauseating smell near the railway station is another mosquito breeding ground,” he said.