MBI installs over 1,000 rat traps for pest control in markets, food courts

IPOH - The Vector Control Unit of Ipoh City Council (MBI) until last May installed 747 traps and caught and disposed of 117 rats around MBI's buildings including public markets and food courts.

Ipoh Mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said that during the Rat Control Campaign at Pasar Besar Ipoh from June 6 to June 21, 360 traps were installed and 91 rats were caught.

"This campaign was held to eradicate rat infestation in MBI public markets for this year.

"This rat control campaign will continue until Aug 31," he said in a statement here today.

Rumaizi said the campiagn programme conducted this morning was one of the ongoing activities in achieving the ‘Ipoh the Cleanest City 2023’ target.

He said the implementation of the Rodent Monitoring and Control Action Plan in Local Authorities (PBT) had started in 2022, which is under the Rodent Control Guidelines in PBT.

He said the Vector Control Unit of MBI's Environmental Health Department, had chosen Pasar Besar Ipoh, Pasar Pasir Pinji and Pasar Pasir Puteh to carry out this campaign in phases followed by all markets and food courts under MBI.

Commenting further, Rumaizi said that this campaign, among other things, aims to prevent the spread of various types of rat-borne diseases such as Leptospirosis, plague, typhus, worm infections and various types of viruses and bacteria.

It is also to reduce the problem of rat infestation in PBT areas covering public markets and food courts, carrying out rat index studies, environmental risk assessment of rat infestation as well as devising and implementing control and mitigation actions.

"The main cause of the problem of rodents in public markets is due to left over fish intestines, vegetables and fruits, holes (burrows) in the environment of the market building, polystyrene storage containers/cardboard boxes that are not clean and stored properly,” he said.

Therefore, he said the public market traders need to cooperate, including the aspect of disposal of fish, vegetable and fruit waste by throwing the waste into garbage bags and tying them well before throwing into a covered bin. - BERNAMA