Pets targeted in clean up

Over the next month a massive clean-up will be under way, aimed specifically at illegal dumping, in a move to end vector infestations.
RODENTS and other pests are attracted to refuse, where they live and breed. For this reason, the City is launching a public health and clean-up environment campaign in four townships where illegal dumping is common.

MMC Nonceba MolweleMMC Nonceba Molwele: prevention is best solution for rat control The campaign will start in Alexandra today and end on 26 August. It will also be rolled out in Orange Farm, Ivory Park and Orlando East.

Councillors, youth groups, ward committees, and City departments such as infrastructure services, urban management and Pikitup, will take part in the campaign.

In Alex, the member of the mayoral committee for health and human development, Nonceba Molwele, will be cleaning the streets, accompanied by officials from the City’s environmental health services.

“We will execute this campaign with military precision. With the support of communities we will win this battle,” Molwele said.

“Prevention is the best solution for rat control. We have to eliminate the conditions in which they thrive and for this we need the active co-operation of all residents of Johannesburg.

“The City is aware of the rat problem and rodent control is one of the public health priorities.”

She attributed the rat infestation in Johannesburg to illegal dumping and careless disposal of food and waste. “They attract the creatures and provide them with a comfortable environment to nest and continue breeding.”

Environmental health services is mobilising the public to support the campaign and is teaching them about pest control. The department is also surveying the areas and will identify rodent hotspots that will receive priority attention.

To stop rat infestations, people should:

Wrap household waste in plastic bags and place these in the wheelie bins provided by Pikitup, and keep the dustbins closed;
Not pour dirty dishwater containing scraps of food into catch pits or into open spaces as the small pieces of leftover food attract rats, resulting in a much bigger infestation over time;
Keep open spaces, vacant land and parks clean of rubble, which provides a fertile environment for rats – in addition, illegal dumping is a serious offence and the City is taking strong steps against serial polluters who contravene public health by-laws; and
Rat-proof buildings to stop them from gaining access, and close up all holes in exterior walls.
Poison baits and other rodenticides can be used to control the vector population. Bait-dispensers are the recommended method, however, as they prevent accidental ingestion of poison by domestic animals.

Residents are urged to report any public health nuisance that might contribute to rodents breeding, to the City’s health department or regional offices. Pest control operators will be dispatched to get rid of the pests in those particular areas.