Dubai: Buildings and construction sites could face shutdown or utility cuts if found flouting hygiene rules or pest-control regulations, warned an official, as Dubai heightened a campaign to curb rats infesting even posh areas.
"Premises related to public health that don't have a maintenance contract with a licensed pest control company and ignore our warning will either get a fine or face shutdown," said Ali Obeid Bakheet, Head of Technical Services at the Public Health Pest Control Section of Dubai Municipality.
Maintenance must
"We will have the water and electricity connections cut in conjunction with Dewa (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority)," he said. He stressed that premises related to public health — restaurants, groceries, shopping malls, food warehouse and the like — must, by law, have a contract with one of the dozens of licensed private pest control companies.
Bakheet said they have issued "numerous" fines recently in their anti-rodent drive, even as Dubai became abuzz with tales of hidden holes for rodents. Some residents have complained that rats deprive them of sleep and hygiene as they propagate in their apartments. One possible reason is unhygienic practices during the construction phase in which rats have found a home even in new buildings.
Construction of a huge building takes years, and while labourers eat their food, their leftovers are food for the rats. Residents constantly report rodent sightings. "I've seen rats in a newly-built area such as Al Khail Gate," said an Asian resident.
Lakshmi, in a post on expatwoman.com, said: "Cities in the UK (where I'm from) are generally much dirtier than Old Town (where I live) but I've never seen rats in the UK. So why are there so many rats here? Is it an Old Town thing? Or a Dubai thing? On the streets around here I've seen live rats running around — about five (and one cute little mouse)."
Some blame the rise in the number of rats to the extermination of feral cats. Pest control firms use a combination of rodent glue pads or rat traps to deal with the menace. Bakheet said that depending on the season, they get complaints about pest infestation like rats, mosquitoes, flies.
Pest-related complaints nearly tripled from 1,664 in April 1992 to 4,676 complaints in April 2009, even as Dubai's population roughly doubled to about 1.4 million.
Rats also thrive on fallen dates — they nibble on paper, cardboard, wood and fabric, consuming food containers and even sweat stains on rags.
"We may not completely get rid of pests, but we can keep them to a minimum. Anyplace we suspect as a breeding ground of pests, especially construction sites, will continue to be inspected."
At a glance
Premises related to public health that don't have a pest control contract
- First offence: Warning
- Second offence: Dh400 fine
- Third offence: Shut down, utilities cut
To report pests, call: 800-900.
