KINGSTON, Jamaica— Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby sought to remind residents recently that they too have a part to play in ridding communities of mosquitoes, which have increased since the passage of Hurricane Beryl earlier this month.

Swaby advised residents that while the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) and the Kingston and St Andrew Public Health Department have an important job to do, individuals within communities plagued by the mosquito nuisance also need to play their part.

“While it is the KSAMC and the Kingston and St Andrew Public Health Department responsibility to deal with the issue, each resident, each citizen has a personal responsibility to look around your yard space to make sure there are no possible breeding sites,” Mayor Swaby said.

“The drums, if you have a drum or so make sure it has holes in the bottom so they can leak out the water, your potted plants, make sure there is no water settling in those areas, if you have to store water, cover them. You have a personal responsibility, you are not supposed to be throwing your garbage in our gullies because that is also a possible breeding site,” he further advised.

He issued the advisory after disclosing that he has received text messages and phone calls from residents about the increase in mosquitoes in communities. Swaby said after receiving these calls he contacted the Kingston and St Andrew Public Health Department, who highlighted problem areas that have contributed to the increase in the mosquito population.

“Clearly after any hurricane [an increase in mosquito breeding] is expected so what I did was to call a meeting with them (Kingston and St Andrew Public Health Department) to see how they are dealing with the issue and they have highlighted some areas.”

“For example they have highlighted our gullies, that in these gullies, on the base of the gullies that there are a lot of breakaways and there is water left in these breakaways and these are possible breeding sites so it is a discussion that we will have to have with the National Works Agency and with our own selves about these gullies and how we deal with these issues,” Swaby said.

He further stated that the sewage plant in Harbour View is also a breeding site that needs to be looked at.

In response to the issues brought forward, Swaby said he hopes to have an inter-agency approach to alleviate the problem.

“I will be asking for an inter-agency approach, so I will be trying to have a meeting with the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), National Water Commission (NWC), National Work Agency (NWA), the Kingston and St Andrew Public Health department and ourselves to make sure that we have a joint approach in how we deal with these situations,” the mayor said.

In the meantime, he informed that the health department is carrying out fogging activities at least twice daily to help alleviate the mosquito problem.