Thumbs Down
By A. Jeyaraj
The Kinta Riverfront Park which is located beside the Kinta River Bridge along Jalan Iskandar Shah (Hugh Low Street) seems to have been abandoned by MBI. The major attractions which were the recreation pools and fountains are not in operation.
The pools and fountains contain stagnant water which is ideal for breeding Aedes mosquitoes. The contractor who is maintaining the place has also not cleared the garbage, another breeding ground. In the cover story ‘Battling Dengue in Perak’ in Issue 199 of Ipoh Echo (October 16 -31, 2014), photos of stagnant water in the park were published.
In response to the story, MBI wrote a letter dated November 20, 2014 signed by Normala Latiff, Ketua Penolong Pengarah Korporat Bandaraya, informing that the fountains and pools have been filled with sand on 10 November 2014.
In fact, as of February 8 when I took the new photos nothing had been done.
It was reported in the New Sunday Times (February 8) that Dato’ Dr Mah Hang Soon, State Health Committee Chairman, informed the public that as of February 1, there were three dengue related deaths this year in Perak and 1083 cases were recorded compared to 426 cases last year.
