Valencian homeowners open to fines up to €3,000 for leaving ‘puddles and standing water’ in gardens following new measures to combat tiger mosquito

PUDDLES and standing water in containers will soon be subject to fines in Valencia as part of a raft of new measures to combat the tiger mosquito’s spread.

Amounts of anywhere between €25-€3,000 will be meted out to citizens neglecting the warnings.

The larvae of the tiger mosquito only needs a bit of water in which to reproduce, such as that left in plant pots after a watering.

And thanks to increased transport and warming temperatures, the blood-sucking insect has now spread to every coastal municipality in the Valencian Community.

The mosquito is of particular concern as a vector for viral diseases such as dengue, zika and chikungunya.

Valencia’s Councillor for Health Valencia, Emiliano García, explained that the program is not ‘to sanction’ but to ‘warn and inform’. 

“It would be more appropriate to issue advice, but we are prepared to give fines is necessary,” he said.

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