The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will launch the second round of an eight-week anti-rodent operation in designated target areas in various districts next Monday (November 1) to sustain the effectiveness of rodent prevention and control work at the district level and raise public awareness of rodent prevention and control.
An FEHD spokesman said, "In view of the fruitful results of the previous anti-rodent operations in designated target areas, the FEHD continues to conduct two rounds of the operation this year, with the first round completed in June. During the second round of the operation to be commenced next Monday, the FEHD will conduct a trial by including an enhanced version of the anti-rodent operations in designated target areas for the first time in Sham Shui Po, Wan Chai and Yuen Long to expand the scope of rodent control, so as to cover more rodent blackspots, including those in public markets and municipal services buildings, hawker bazaars, and rear lanes adjacent to food premises and to conduct large-scale and targeted anti-rodent operations."
In order to further enhance the effectiveness of rodent prevention and control work at the district level, the FEHD will strengthen the application of thermal cameras to detect rodent activities in all designated target areas across the territory. Analysing the rodent traces detected at different stages of the operations will be helpful to the FEHD in devising an appropriate anti-rodent strategy.
Each District Environmental Hygiene Office of the FEHD, taking into account factors including rodent infestation rates, the number of rodent complaints received, views of the local community, the number of food premises and "three-nil" buildings, will identify target areas in each district and will continue to adopt multi-pronged strategies including improving environmental hygiene and stepping up rodent disinfestation and enforcement actions for carrying out targeted rodent prevention and control work.
FEHD staff will enhance street cleaning services and cleaning of public markets and hawker bazaars in the target areas, including sweeping and cleaning of streets and rear lanes, emptying and cleaning of litter containers, and clearance of miscellaneous articles and waste in public markets and hawker bazaars.
"We will also strengthen rodent prevention and control work at problematic spots such as rear lanes, refuse collection points, markets, hawker bazaars, cooked food markets and peripheral areas of construction sites by placing poisonous baits and traps, destroying rat holes and implementing rodent-proofing measures," the spokesman added.
"Furthermore, inspections of food premises will be stepped up. Enforcement actions against food premises causing poor environmental hygiene conditions, scullery and food preparation at rear lanes, and improper handling and disposal of rubbish will be strengthened. We will also adopt a zero-tolerance approach against common public cleanliness offences and take stringent enforcement actions against illegal disposal of refuse and waste."
The FEHD will also reinforce public education and publicity on rodent prevention and control. Apart from the broadcast of publicity videos and display of posters, the FEHD will collaborate with District Councils and District Offices of the Home Affairs Department to organise anti-rodent promotional activities. The department will also arrange health talks for building management offices of private buildings, persons-in-charge of food premises, and market and hawker stall operators to provide information and technical advice on rodent prevention and control.
The spokesman appealed to the community for active participation in the anti-rodent activities as well as joint efforts to eliminate the three fundamental survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourage and passages, i.e. the elimination of the food sources and hiding places of rodents as well as blockage of their dispersal routes, so as to combat the rodent problem.
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