SINGAPORE — The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has tasked its contractors to step up inspections during the current dengue epidemic, after it was found to have fallen short in eliminating potential mosquito breeding sites last year.

Ten mosquito breeding spots were found in sites managed by the authority from January to June this year, incurring S$2,000 in fines, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in response to queries from TODAY.

An NEA spokesperson said the 10 spots were discarded receptacles and drains in places like vacant buildings and land managed by the SLA. They constituted less than 1 per cent of over 2,500 breeding spots found in public areas in the first half of this year.

The Auditor-General’s report for the 2012/2013 financial year, released last month, had found nine SLA properties “where the contractors failed to seal or destroy potential mosquito breeding and harbouring sites”.

The Auditor-General inspected 42 vacant land sites and 11 vacant properties managed by the SLA; no other government agency was cited in its report for having potential mosquito breeding spots. The NEA did not say if any SLA sites were found to be breeding mosquitoes last year.

In response to TODAY’s queries, an SLA spokesperson clarified that none of the nine spots were actually breeding mosquitoes. “Corrective actions” were nevertheless taken by its contractors for the reported cases.

As for the 10 breeding spots found by the NEA this year, they have been eliminated, and inspections have been stepped up to 300 per week in the current epidemic, said the spokesperson.

Besides weekly vector control and inspections at vacant state properties, its cleaning contractors also clear litter daily and, “if ground depressions are found, they are filled up to prevent mosquito breeding”.

Singapore is in the midst of its worst dengue epidemic, with 13,780 cases of the mosquito-borne disease logged so far this year, according to the NEA’s dengue website.

In the past five weeks, however, the number of cases has declined — from the peak of 838 cases in the week of June 16 to 22, to 305 cases last week, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Four people who contracted the virus here have died since May.