A local councillor has identified crime and water wastage as the two main concerns in her ward.
Councillor Deborah Franscisco of Ward 108 said it would require a concerted effort from the entire community and stakeholders for these issues to be eradicated.
Fransisco said crime, especially housebreaking, was most worrying. “It’s very concerning when residents can’t feel safe anymore in their own homes after spending the day in public also not feeling safe,” she said.
She revealed that her family was victim to two failed attempted burglaries at their home on 7th Avenue in the past two years.
The councillor said her ward committee meeting next week would prioritise the issue of crime, and together with the sector policing unit, would plan strategies to counter this scourge. This would include intensifying patrols and conducting public awareness campaigns to notify everyone that all were vulnerable to crime and, therefore, it was in their best interest to stop it.
Fransisco also expressed concern about residents’ indifferent attitude towards water conservation. “There have been numerous warnings through the media about water scarcity in the city, country and region due to low annual rainfall. In a few years, we will be forced to apply water rationing to ensure long-term availability of water, including for domestic use.
“At the moment residents do not understand this imminent reality and continue to waste water.” This she said was by leaving taps running when doing laundry, and some left dripping throughout the day and night.
She added that car washers wasted water by using hosepipes instead of buckets of water, and also parents let their children use hosepipes to cool themselves down.
The councillor urged residents who, she said, didn’t even pay for water, to assist the city council by taking responsibility by fixing leaking taps. She encouraged schools and local organisations to assist in raising awareness of these issues.
