Rodents population down due to solid waste management

Mumbai, May 7 (UNI) With a series of initiatives undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) like solid waste management, enforced by the housing societies, the number of rodents has declined in the metropolis.

According to BMC's health department, the civic body is working continuously to fight the rat menace in the city. The cleanliness rituals followed by many societies has helped to bring down the number of rodents. Many societies are practising solid waste management because of which the number of dustbins and garbage points have come down, thus bringing down the number of rodents.

''The number of rats cannot be counted in the city as it is equal to counting the number of crows,'' the Insecticide officer of BMC's health department Deepak Adsul said.

He said it is possible to estimate the number of rats in a particular area by demarking them by the various methods that the BMC has been following. The number of rodents in a particular area can be estimated by filling up of rat holes at night and if the same are found open in the morning, then a rough estimate of the rodents can be found.

The other way of estimating the number of rodents is putting talc on a small plate and keeping it in the rat-infested area and the number of paws on it is used to find out the number of rats, he informed.

Another way of estimating is senses baiting, where rat food is used as a bait and with the amount of food consumed the number of rats can be estimated, he said.

Mr Adsul said pied pipers (night rat killers) are used to catch the rats and if they catch 30 rats in one single night, then they are awarded a day's salary as an incentive which comes to around Rs 300. If the score exceeds the number, then an additional amount of Rs 11 is given to them for every extra rat caught, he said.

He warned that the damage potential by the rats is very high and if the citizens suffer from some fever or any other rat-infested disease, then the purpose is defeated.

He said the front teeth of the rats are very sharp and they keep growing continously. In order to check the growth of the teeth, the rats need to continously gnaw, because of which the damage is very high.

''The BMC spends around Rs 3 crore every year on destroying rats, but the amount of money spent and the amount of rats caught is not directly proportional,'' Mr Adsul said.

If BMC is spending Rs 100 and if ten rats are caught, then it does not mean that the BMC has spent Rs 10 per rat, because many other things need to be considered like the number of labourers and the damage potential of the rats, he added.

UNI