NUISANCE CAUSED BY BARN SWALLOWS

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Dr Ong Chit Chung asked the Minister for National Development what measures are being taken to deal with the problem posed by barn swallows in Bukit Batok neighbourhoods 2 and 3, where the droppings from the birds are causing great inconvenience to the residents.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Dr Lee Boon Yang) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, barn swallows are migratory birds from the Northern Hemisphere. They fly here in September and leave the following year around March. They form communal roost at ledges and gable ends of some apartment blocks in Bukit Batok, Jurong West and Hougang. This phenomenon has come about only in the last couple of years.

The Primary Production Department, together with the National University of Singapore, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Environment Ministry and the HDB are looking into how to deal with the nuisance caused by these birds. Various measures such as the use of "distress calls" will be tried out to gauge their effectiveness.