Stalled work on stagnant drain has resulted in Cassada Gardens residents being overwhelmed by mosquitoes and frogs

With the Central Board of Health estimating dengue cases at nearly
100, and even as residents are being urged to protect themselves
from contracting the illness, the residents of a street in Cassada
Gardens #3 are “bawling murder for mosquitoes.”

This is because a defective drain was excavated and virtually
abandoned – more than six weeks ago – and has become filled with
now-stagnant water.

The former gutter has become a 24- to 30-inch-wide trench that is
filled with water from the ongoing rains and the run-off from the
line of homes – and is now a breeding ground for both mosquitoes
and frogs.

In order to avoid an infestation of both inside their homes, the
residents say they must “close in early” each evening – despite the
heat – and all outdoor activities have been curtailed.

One resident says she has been buying bleach, ammonia, and salt in
quantities; mixing them; and pouring the substance into the
stagnant trench daily, before carefully maneuvering over the
breeding ground.

She explains that after one set of eggs and tadpoles is killed, the
adult frogs breed again in the standing water and start the cycle all
over.

Meanwhile, they say it is a challenge to enter their properties given
the width of the ditch and the fact that they are unable to drive their
vehicles into their yards.

The suffering residents on this stretch of the street explain that,
about six or seven weeks ago, a contractor appeared – reportedly on
the instruction of the Public Works Department – and began digging
up the existing but defective gutter.

An engineer from the Ministry of Works reportedly came after, to
assess the problem, and claimed the contractor had acted too
hastily.

Sources said the contractor had, indeed, been promised the job, but
had not been given the go-ahead to start it. This was because the
Ministry did not yet have the resources, material and otherwise, to
undertake the project.

As a result, more than a month after it was begun, the project has
not advanced, and the situation – for residents, pedestrians, and
drivers – has worsened: The road has been narrowed; there is no
sidewalk for a span of many yards; and the mosquitoes and frogs are
holding the people hostage in their homes.

Meanwhile, those affected say they have no idea when either the
contractor or the Ministry of Works will return to correct the
problem and end their misery.