Projek Pembiakan Nyamuk Majlis Perbandaran Seremban

The Star ran an article about how the huge hole in the ground in Seremban was being used as a source of irrigation for plants by the MPS. I decided to write in with a suggestion:

(Quick background: The hole used to be the site of the Convent School which a few of my friends attended. Then someone bought the site and razed it to build a shopping centre. A pit was dug and lined with concrete - for an underground parking lot, I guess - but like so many other construction projects in Malaysia, this one came to a halt. The giant lubang has been a menace to public health for some time because it doesn't have any drainage, so spawns mosquitoes like mad. And they can go and fine people for having a tin Milo full of rainwater in their garden summore...)

I write a lot of letters to The Star because it's what I read online when I'm in the US. I seem to be turning into a female Bulbir Singh.

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Dear editors,

The Seremban Municipal Council might consider another use for the pond where the Convent School once stood ("Seremban eyesore now a welcome sight", 6 July). Since the water is safe for plants, why not turn the pond and its surrounding strip of land into a small park? The pond is perfectly situated to become a green lung for the urban area of Seremban, and would still be usable as a source of irrigation.

Planting the pond with lotuses and waterlilies and the strip of land with grass and trees would oxygenate and cool the air in the surrounding area. If it could also be stocked with fish and frogs, this would eliminate the problem of mosquitoes breeding in the water. Park benches placed around the perimeter could provide a resting place for weary shoppers, employees, and schoolchildren.

The city already has Terminal 1 and Seremban Parade; it does not need any more malls. It is a pity that the failed Seremban Mall project has been a nuisance for these seven years, but as the saying goes, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. An island of nature in the middle of the arid concrete jungle would certainly be sweet.