Midges are a menace

I LIVE at West Coast Drive and have been suffering from the midge epidemic silently and patiently for over two years, so I disagree with Mr Milton Yap Yang Ming's call to do nothing about midge infestations ("Leave Bedok midges alone"; last Wednesday).

In late 2006, when I first moved to West Coast, and for many years after, there were never any midges. I suspect the deterioration of our public health regime gave rise to the menace.

Unlike in Bedok, the West Coast midges are aggressive. They feast on faeces and rubbish, and then pay uninvited visits to raw and cooked food. Worse, they love flying into damp places such as nostrils, ear chambers, and eyelids.

In short, they are not quite the harmless creatures as suggested by Mr Yap.

It is well and good to have researchers identify the midge species ("Scientists identify pesky midges"; Dec 15). But it is so much more important for the National Environment Agency to tell the people when they can expect to have the midge problem resolved, or at least under effective control.

Cheang Peng Wah