PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
The occupants had great fears every time when they used the toilet. It was eventually found out that the clearance of a nearby squatter area resulted in a massive migration of the rat population too.
According to the information supplied by the D of H, the statistics on rats handled are as follows:
72 000 rats were killed in 1996
66 000 rats were killed in 1997
The figures are very alarming indeed. Although the number of rats caught has decreased, the size of the rodent population has in fact grown. We learn this from staff of the superintendent rank who carry out their duties in the districts.
It therefore occurs to us that importance should be attached to the effectiveness of rat disinfestation and prevention. I would suggest that the D of H and the USD strengthen their cooperation with the academic sector of Hong Kong in working out jointly a new way to exterminate rats, because given the strong powers of rats to adapt and reproduce, there is some concern for the outdated methods of extermination. It is commendable to invite local tertiary institutions to take part in a study of rodent control. A precedent is found in the greening of Hong Kong. There is certain accomplishment in this area because the teachers and students of the University of Hong Kong took part in the research on a long-term basis. Surveys, statistics and researches in connection with the trees in Hong Kong were made and the availability of the actual data facilitated the entire project and laid down a blueprint for the long-term development.
Furthermore, we should turn to overseas countries for their experience in rodent control, and in this area, there is a need for the Department to work out the details.
What I propose is that we should have proactive and effective methods of rat disinfestation and prevention. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. We should act proactively and must not wait until the situation deteriorates.
If we take a look at the history of Hong Kong, we will find that the Sanitation Board, the former Urban Council, was set up in 1883 and in 1894, a plague broke out in Hong Kong. One hundred thousand people died from the disease in South China alone. It attracted international attention. The attention drawn was no less than that drawn by the avian flu last year. The administration was at a loss and the army was mobilized to conduct door-to-door search for those who were infected and have them isolated by force. The international community provided active support then by sending two top microbiologists to Hong Kong to conduct a research on the plague and carry out pathological analyses. After a series of work was done, a new kind of plague bacillus was discovered. It was named after the then microbiologist,
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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
The occupants had great fears every time when they used the toilet. It was eventually found out that the clearance of a nearby squatter area resulted in a massive migration of the rat population too.
According to the information supplied by the D of H, the statistics on rats handled are as follows:
72 000 rats were killed in 1996
66 000 rats were killed in 1997
The figures are very alarming indeed. Although the number of rats caught has decreased, the size of the rodent population has in fact grown. We learn this from staff of the superintendent rank who carry out their duties in the districts.
It therefore occurs to us that importance should be attached to the effectiveness of rat disinfestation and prevention. I would suggest that the D of H and the USD strengthen their cooperation with the academic sector of Hong Kong in working out jointly a new way to exterminate rats, because given the strong powers of rats to adapt and reproduce, there is some concern for the outdated methods of extermination. It is commendable to invite local tertiary institutions to take part in a study of rodent control. A precedent is found in the greening of Hong Kong. There is certain accomplishment in this area because the teachers and students of the University of Hong Kong took part in the research on a long-term basis. Surveys, statistics and researches in connection with the trees in Hong Kong were made and the availability of the actual data facilitated the entire project and laid down a blueprint for the long- term development.
Furthermore, we should turn to overseas countries for their experience in rodent control, and in this area, there is a need for the Department to work out the details.
What I propose is that we should have proactive and effective methods of rat disinfestation and prevention. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. We should act proactively and must not wait until the situation deteriorates.
If we take a look at the history of Hong Kong, we will find that the Sanitation Board, the former Urban Council, was set up in 1883 and in 1894, a plague broke out in Hong Kong. One hundred thousand people died from the disease in South China alone. It attracted international attention. The attention drawn was no less than that drawn by the avian flu last year. The administration was at a loss and the army was mobilized to conduct door-to- door search for those who were infected and have them isolated by force. The international community provided active support then by sending two top microbiologists to Hong Kong to conduct a research on the plague and carry out pathological analyses. After a series of work was done, a new kind of plague bacillus was discovered. It was named after the then microbiologist,
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