The following care should be taken to protect from Aedes aegypti:
1) Tighten water tank caps properly
2) Get rid of all discarded tyres
3) Change the water in pots and fountains constantly every five days
4) Dispose of all waste in closed bins
5) Backfill ponds and wet bins
There is a call from the Muscat Municipality to keep residential and official premises clean to avoid attracting rodents and breeding mosquitoes.
This comes after the extraordinary meeting of the National Committee for Integrated Management of Vector Control that discussed the urgent situation of Aedes Aegypti spread and cases of dengue fever. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Health (MoH) under the auspices of Dr Mohammed bin Saif al Hosni, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs.
The recommendations of the meeting include scaling up vector control and epidemiological surveillance, intensifying the environmental sanitation actions in collaboration with Muscat Municipality and focusing on community awareness with the collaboration of all concerned authorities.
Article (45) of chapter 5 of Pest Control Regulations and Laws of local order 1/2006 on the protection of public health points out that owners of properties are obliged to maintain hygiene standards, while Article 46 stipulates that occupants of houses or other places intended for a living, are prohibited from keeping animals or poultry and other birds in these places in a condition that is harmful to the residents and environment.
“The owner and the contractor shall be fully responsible throughout the completion of construction for the control of insects and rodents and prevent the chances of reproduction in the building or water tanks or sewage connection,” he said, adding, the owner and the contractor shall check that the building and its accessories are free of insects and rodents upon completion of construction work.
Speaking to the Observer on the sidelines of the joint campaign against the breeding of mosquitoes, he added that the septic tanks, sewer manholes, water connections and ventilation pipes need to be closed properly and shouldn’t be left open or broken, while the ventilation pipes should be covered with a soft metal mesh to prevent the entry of mosquitoes.
The law further stipulates administrative penalties for violations harmful to the environment.
A fine of RO 300 will be imposed on owners of buildings for failing to comply with general cleaning, pest control and disposal of waste properly, while given three days to correct the violation. The fine is doubled if the violation is repeated.
If the sewage leaks exist, or drainage lines are not maintained from the building, which may be either commercial or residential or industrial, tourism, to streets or public squares, there is a provision of a fine of RO 1,000 and a fine of RO 3,000 if the violation is repeated, while giving the violator one-day deadline to correct the situation.
