Over 92,000 rats killed this year in Navi Mumbai, drive picks up in monsoon

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is going all out to ensure there are no cases of plague, leptospirosis, and other such diseases caused by rats and mice, especially during monsoon season

Navi Mumbai: Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is going all out to ensure there are no cases of plague, leptospirosis, and other such diseases caused by rats and mice, especially during monsoon season. The civic body has killed over 92,000 rats in special drives this year, with the total figure expected to be around 1 lakh by the end of this month.

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Following an explosion of the rat population in the city over the years, NMMC created a special rodent control department to curb the menace. In the last 10 years, around 16 lakh rats have been killed in various drives by the personnel working in the department.

Giving details of the action taken this year, municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde said, “Almost 92,000 rats and mice have been killed so far. The number will increase further in the coming months as we intensify the drive in monsoon.”

“There are a number of instances of food and other waste being dumped in the drains and nullahs in areas where there are hawkers and also in the gaothan and slum areas. Several housing societies do not keep their areas clean. This provides the rats with easy access to food and hence their numbers grow fast,” stated the commissioner.

The commissioner appealed, “It is important that the residents keep their homes and surrounding areas clean. If the rats do not get food easily and the conditions are not unhygienic, their numbers will automatically decrease. We need to fight against the menace continuously by cooperating.”

According to a civic official, “Rat and mice populations multiply very quickly. Four to fifteen mice can be born at a time and they, in turn, can reproduce in five weeks. Hence, one pair of rats can result in 15,000 rats in just a year as they have a birth cycle of just three weeks and a lifespan of 18 months.”