NEA will ensure rat burrows are treated: MEWR

Between September 2013 and January 2014, close to 14,000 burrows were detected in public areas, of which about 2,000 burrows were in areas not managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA), according to Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu.
Channel NewsAsia 18 Aug 15;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency will step up efforts to ensure that all detected rat burrows are treated, including considering taking over the treatment of burrows in areas under the purview of other agencies and abutting NEA-managed areas, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu said on Monday (Aug 17).

NEA will also pool resources to tackle infestation that straddles the borders of land under different stakeholders, so as to avoid duplicate efforts, Ms Fu said in a written reply to a Parliamentary question filed by MP Lee Bee Wah.

The Auditor-General’s report, released in July, found gaps in NEA's handling of its rat control programme. NEA's contractors were required to treat burrows in areas under the agency’s charge and not those under other public agencies, resulting in higher overall costs. It also had not sufficiently followed up with the other public agencies to ensure that actions were taken to treat the active burrows detected, the report said.

Ms Fu said on Monday that typically, less than 10 per cent of burrows are detected in NEA-managed land.

Between September 2013 and January 2014, close to 14,000 burrows were detected in public areas, of which about 2,000 burrows were in areas under the purview of other agencies excluding town councils. A total of 115 burrows at non-town council areas were untreated, and 33 remained active or increased in numbers after two to six months, Ms Fu said.

“NEA is also considering other measures to ensure upstream measures to tackle rat infestation are put in place by the respective stakeholders,” she said. “The health and safety of the public remains our top priority. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to keep the rat situation under control.”

- CNA/cy