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Jakarta Post

City pays for rat eradication program

Amid an alarming rat infestation in the capital, the Jakarta administration is set to establish an incentivized hunting program to prevent outbreaks of diseases caused by rats

Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post)
Wed, October 19, 2016

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City pays for rat eradication program

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mid an alarming rat infestation in the capital, the Jakarta administration is set to establish an incentivized hunting program to prevent outbreaks of diseases caused by rats.

The program is called the Rat Eradication Movement, in which residents will be rewarded Rp 20,000 (US$1.50) for each rat they exterminate, said Jakarta’s Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

“There are so many rats here. They are dangerous for our health as they can carry diseases, like pestilence,” said Djarot at City Hall on Tuesday. “With this program, we want to invite residents to help reduce rat infestation in the city.”

Djarot revealed that he had allocated his operational funds to pay for the monetary incentives. When asked how much he had budgeted, the deputy governor said, “[I will provide] as many rewards as there are rats.”

The administration, he said, will allow the residents to use various methods to eradicate the rats. Nonetheless, he asked them not to use guns in order to avoid friendly fires.

“If possible, please do not use guns. If you miss your shot, the bullets could hit other people,” Djarot added.

The rats retrieved by residents will be gathered by sub-district administrations and counted and then the money will be distributed. The administrations will hand over the accumulated rats to either the city’s Sanitation Agency or Parks and Cemeteries Agency, which will bury the rats in provided spaces, Djarot explained.

“We will bury them in specifically allocated land. They should be buried because they may carry health risks,” said Djarot.

The plan, however, has only been referenced by the deputy governor with related agencies yet to acknowledge the program.

“We do not know of such a program,” said Parks and Cemeteries Agency head Djafar when the program was mentioned on Tuesday. “There has been no discussion about a rat eradication movement.”

Nonetheless, the agency is ready to support Djarot’s plan once it becomes official.

“We are ready to support whatever program will be helpful to the public,” Djafar said, adding that he believed a meeting about the program would be held soon.

Meanwhile, the program is hailed by Jakarta residents, including Ade Alfath Azmi, an employee of a private company who lives in a rented room in Rawamangun, East Jakarta.

“I agree with the program. Rats are everywhere in the city,” said Ade before he explained his experience with rats. “I once awoke in the middle of a night to find my left thumb being bitten by a rat.”

Ade said after the bite, he received vaccines once a week for three months to prevent the onset of an infection or tetanus.

Separately, university student Yulida Anggani hopes the program will significantly reduce rat infestation in the city.

Like Djarot, Yuli sees the city has been severely infested with rats.

“I often see dozens of big rats appear at once near Palmerah station. There are so many vendors selling food and beverages nearby,” said Yuli. “Since seeing the rats, I don’t want to buy food or drinks there.”

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