WORKING TOGETHER FOR A CLEAN & HEALTHY CENTRAL SINGAPORE DISTRICT
The IT show 2007 or the SA Tours Grand Mega Travel Sales just couldn’t entice our 120-strong grassroots leaders, community partners and youth environmental guardians from descending on the Marina Mandarin Hotel 10 March for the Central Singapore 3rd Environmental Regional Workshop. Jointly organized by the Central Singapore CDC and NEA Central Regional Office, the 3-hour workshop served not only as a review of the central district’s 2006 environmental achievements, but also as a platform for the Central Singapore community to chart a new course in improving the district’s environment. Establishing a framework that would encourage active community participation in environmental programmes, the Guest of Honour, Mayor of Central Singapore District, Mr Zainudin Nordin, announced the provision of a $10,000 Public Health Protection Fund for each of the 23 divisions in the district. The CDC and NEA CRO would also be creating the “O.N.E. Central Singapore Awards” to recognise grassroots organisations that had reach Out, Nurture and Enable their residents in areas of environmental concerns. During the workshop, the Community Led Efforts Against Littering (CLEAN) programme was introduced to participants. All the participants came together to develop the Central District Gameplan Against Littering, which functions as a road map for Central District to roll out our litter-free programme. Other highlights of the workshop included the “Central Singapore Laurels 2006”, which showcased the efforts of Central Singapore grassroots organisations, a sharing session by We Are OK! Award Most Committed Individual winner Mdm Alice Lee Soh Lui and presentation by an exuberant group of Youth Environmental Guardians from Mayflower Secondary Schools. Judging by the smiles, laughter and thanks, all the participants certainly had an enjoyable and fruitful time at the workshop. We look forward to next year's Central Singapore Environmental Regional Workshop, a step closer towards building a Clean & Healthy Central Singapore. c) HOusehold Mosquito Eradication System (HOMES) - HOMES is a quad-partite collaboration between the NEA, the Central Singapore CDC (CSCDC), the Town Councils in Central Singapore district, and the “Community” which is represented by the Grassroots, the Dengue Prevention Volunteer Groups and the residents themselves, in establishing a structured and sustainable approach to fight dengue. It was launched in late 2005.
- In 2006, HOMES was further developed into a district programme with a community education package (HOMES exhibition and anti-dengue kits for residents) to be rolled out to all the constituencies in Central Singapore district. The primary objective is to equip the residents to protect themselves from dengue.
Since its inception, HOMES had been introduced to all 23 divisions in the district. In times of dengue outbreaks in the community, grassroots and dengue prevention volunteers will activate HOMES kits to be distributed to affected households as the first line of defence against dengue.
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