Easy way to search beneath the city
GEORGE TOWN: Rats are seldom where people can see them.
They travel through hidden drainpipes, cracks under floors and dark, covered drains where scraps of food are plentiful.
Instead of breaking walls or digging up floors to find those hidden routes, some local authorities have turned to endoscopes to look inside drains for rat activity, blockages and damage.
Also known as borescopes, the device is commonly used in countries such as Japan, Singapore, Australia and Britain for drain and sewer inspections.
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is now putting the idea to work in its campaign against rodents.
During a clean-up at Tanjung Bungah Market last Saturday, workers fed an endoscope into concealed drainage, uncovering clogged sections where food waste had collected. Several rats were spotted on camera.
Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran ordered workers to clear the drain under the market flooring after viewing the footage.
Rats can spread diseases such as leptospirosis, salmonellosis and hantavirus through their urine, droppings or by contaminating food or water, making effective control an important public health measure.
Rajendran said as public markets are vital to the local economy and food supply chain, their cleanliness and proper environmental management are essential.
“I urge traders to keep their stalls clean, dispose of food waste properly, ensure drains remain free-flowing, and eliminate anything that can provide food or shelter for rats.
“Rat control is not a one-off exercise. It must be carried out systematically.
“It involves managing the environment effectively, eliminating food sources, reducing rat harbourage and using suitable control methods.”
Rajendran said the Housing and Local Government Ministry allocated RM150,000 to the MBPP for environmental health campaigns, which helps to pay for the endoscopes that cost about RM1,000 each.
MBPP city councillor Tan Soo Siang, the alternate chairman of the council’s public health standing committee, said the council’s efforts extends beyond laying poisoned bait to kill rats.
“We destroy rat nests, improve food waste management and educate traders and the public. Rat control will only succeed if cleanliness becomes a shared responsibility.”
Tan said the campaign, held from April to July, aimed to control rat breeding, reduce the risk of leptospirosis and improve urban cleanliness.
She said the MBPP had eliminated 57,723 rats between 2022 and June this year.
“But the real measure of success is not the number of rats caught. It is keeping our environment clean enough to prevent them from breeding.
“Every trader, business owner and member of the public has a role in managing food waste and keeping their surroundings clean.”
