DAB urges government to tackle rat problem in Wan Chai

The DAB on Thursday raised concerns about a rodent problem in the back alleys of Wan Chai and called for government intervention to tackle it. Data from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department shows that Wan Chai is the most infested of Hong Kong's 18 districts. In a recent DAB survey of over 800 shopkeepers and residents in the area, more than 70 percent said they had encountered rodents on the streets between May and August. Jennifer Chow, chairwoman of the party's Wan Chai branch, said the three main hotspots identified in the district were Bowrington Road Market, Yat Sin Street and Wing Hing Street. "Some residents saw rats climbing up the pipes into their homes and they were very frightened. We have to do more in terms of cleaning the environment to prevent the rats from going down the street," she said. "The hotspots are mostly the back lanes of the private property that is not the government area. So that's the most difficult thing that they face because they don't have any support from the government to clean or to prevent most of the rubbish in their back lane."