Carbon monoxide was pumped into rat burrows at illegal dump sites in Alexandra as the City went all out to clean up the township. Other areas will also be treated.
ILLEGAL dumping sites in Alexandra – the breeding ground of races and other rodents – were fumigated on Tuesday, when the City launched a public health and clean-up campaign.
Pumping carbon monoxide into rat holesPumping carbon monoxide into rat holesOrganised by the department of health, the initiative falls under the umbrella of the 90-day mayoral service delivery campaign, which began in July and will end in September.
After a week in Alex, the public health and clean-up campaign will move to Orange Farm, Ivory Park and Orlando East, where there are similar problems of illegal dumping and vector infestation.
On the day, environmental health officers taught residents about the preservation of the environment. They identified three rat hot spots in Alex: the shack area in 19th Avenue, San Kopano Community Centre and open ground on the corner of Vincent Shabalala Road and 16th Avenue.
A generator was used to pump carbon monoxide into the burrows where the rats hide during the day. This fumigation would help to flush them out.
The head of environmental health, Peter Manganyi, urged the community to take ownership of their environment. “Let us refrain from dumping refuse in the streets and in other places that are not designated dumping sites. Refuse must be put in bags supplied, so that Pikitup can collect them. This will rid our environment of rats and other pests.”
He said that to stop the rat infestation, every resident of Alexandra must play a role in cleaning the environment. “The reason there are so many rats in Alexandra is that you are feeding them. You leave water running in the street and left over food. This provides perfect conditions for rats to multiply.”
Rats could breed every 28 days, producing up to 10 babies per litter. Unlike other pests, they did not have a specific breeding season. Whether it was cold or hot, the breeding would continue, Manganyi said.
Mission accomplished: dead ratsMission accomplished: dead rats after the cleanupWork is going on in the area over and above the latest City efforts. Vusi Mazibuko, the head of health in Region E, is at the helm of the campaign in Alexandra.
He said the department had launched an ongoing community clean-up initiative to mobilise people to clean the environment, called Siyakhona.
Every second month, members of Siyakhona held community meetings where they could reflect on the work they had achieved, as well as discuss new methods they could employ to mitigate illegal dumping – and in the process prevent rat infestation.
Mazibuko said the project would be continuous, to educate people about the preservation of the environment. “We must encourage members to refrain from dumping refuse in storm water drains, on street corners and at the back of their houses.”
“For rats to breed well, they need water, shelter and food. So by ensuring that our surroundings are clean at all times, we will be doing a lot in curbing the infestation of rats in Alexandra.”
Danny Mauwane, a City environmental health pest co-ordinator, called on the owners of private property to do pest control regularly at their buildings and on their properties. “There is a fine that will be charged, if building owners do not comply.”
Several other illegal dumping hotspots were identified in Alex:
At the woman’s hostel on the corner of 6th Avenue and Hofmeyer Street;
At the Pan African zone in Oliver Tambo Street;
On the corner of 15th Avenue and John Brett Street;
On 15th Avenue near the police station and taxi rank; and
On the corner of Richard Baloyi and 2nd streets.
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