Tracking of Fogging Operations in Private Condominiums and Landed Estates
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the National Environment Agency (NEA) tracks fogging operations in private condominiums and landed estates and if guidelines will be revised to limit their annual frequency. Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye raised this inquiry, to which Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli B M M responded that source reduction remains the most effective mosquito control method. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that NEA does not cap fogging operations as they are calibrated to dynamic ground conditions, but operators must notify NEA before proceeding. He further explained that NEA provides guidance to ensure proper fogging and will intervene to engage premises managers and pest control operators if excessive operations are identified. Ultimately, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli B M M emphasized that fogging is merely complementary and requires public cooperation in removing breeding habitats through the "5-step Mozzie Wipeout."
Transcript
51 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether NEA tracks the number of fogging operations carried out in private condominiums and landed estates annually; and (b) whether NEA will consider revising guidelines to limit the number of fogging operations that can be done in one location every year.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Source reduction, or eliminating potential mosquito breeding habits, remains the most effective method to reduce the mosquito population. Nonetheless, fogging may still be required as a complementary approach when there is urgency to reduce a large mosquito population, such as in areas with active dengue transmissions. In such instances, repeated rounds of fogging may be necessary while concurrent efforts are made to remove the breeding habitats.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) provides guidance on fogging practices to pest control operators (PCOs) to ensure that fogging is carried out properly. PCOs are also required to do a site assessment to ascertain the need to carry out such treatment and have to notify NEA before proceeding with each fogging operation. NEA does not impose any cap on the number of fogging operations that can be carried out in a particular location as such operations need to be calibrated according to the ground conditions, such as the mosquito population, which could be fairly dynamic in nature. If there are excessive fogging operations, NEA would engage the premises managers and PCOs to adjust the fogging operations.
We cannot rely only on fogging to keep the mosquito population low. Everyone has to play his part in keeping the mosquito population in check by practising the "5-step Mozzie Wipeout" and removing any potential breeding habitats.