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PUB releases thousands of fish in Pandan Reservoir to combat midges

Channel NewsAsia 6 Sep 19; SINGAPORE: National water agency PUB has released "tens of thousands" of fish into Pandan Reservoir, the latest measure employed to try to control the midge pupae population, it said on Friday (Sep 6). The release of the guppies, mollies and swordtails into the reservoir was done in a controlled manner that does not affect its ecosystem, PUB said in a Facebook post. Midges, which are commonly mistaken for mosquitoes, are small insects which exist in and near water bodies. "While these midges do not bite or spread diseases, they can be a nuisance when present in large numbers," said PUB. Residents and businesses at Teban Gardens have been affected as swarms of the insects have infested the neighbourhood. PUB biologist Tricia Poh releasing fish into Pandan Reservoir to help control the midge pupae population. (Photo: Facebook/PUB) PUB said insect nets have also been installed at bus stops along Penjuru Road and West Coast Road. The nets are...
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Pandan Reservoir midge outbreak: Residents liken it to a 'horror movie', says Member of Parliament

TESSA OH Today Online 2 Sep 19; SINGAPORE � Residents living around the Pandan Reservoir said that the recent outbreak of midges in the area is like being �in a horror movie�, Member of Parliament (MP) Foo Mee Har said on Monday (Sept 2). Describing it as the �most severe� outbreak that residents have witnessed, Ms Foo, MP for the West Coast Group Representative Constituency (GRC), added that the midges stick to clothes and hair, and residents have found swarms of them in corridors, lifts, bus stops and in their homes. Responding to questions from three MPs, including Ms Foo, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said that the sudden spike in midge activity can be attributed to the recent spell of unusually hot weather, which has hastened the growth process of the midges. �With climate change, we will experience more extreme weather, which will have a corresponding response from nature,� he said. Mr Masagos noted that the midges do not bite or spread disease. Outbr...
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21% more mosquito breeding habitats destroyed in 2018 through use of Gravitrap system

Channel NewsAsia 23 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Friday (Aug 23) said that its Gravitrap system - which is designed to attract and trap female Aedes mosquitoes looking for sites to lay their eggs - enabled it to detect and destroy 21 per cent more breeding habitats in 2018 compared to the previous year. Gravitraps have also been useful in helping NEA remove a large number of Aedes aegypti adult mosquitoes, including infected female mosquitoes, the agency said in a media release. About 50,000 Gravitraps have been deployed at Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates islandwide since NEA began using the system in 2017. Another 14,000 traps will be rolled out at landed estates and newly completed HDB areas from the second half of this year, NEA said. �Resource optimisation from such a data-driven surveillance system has also allowed NEA to re-deploy manpower for other urgent dengue prevention tasks,� it added. NEW INDICATOR ON AREAS WITH HIGHER MOSQUITO P...
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