Smart cameras to aid fight against rat plague

A new calculation method to figure out the rate of rodent infestation, deemed more reliable than the current system used in every district, will be announced today, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Irene Young Bick-kwan said.

In an interview with Sing Tao Daily, Young said the department has introduced heat detection cameras with artificial intelligence analysis to determine rodent activity.

Findings from the three trial districts - Central and Western, Wan Chai and Eastern - will be released next month, while other districts will be equipped with similar cameras within six months.

Since 2000, the department has counted rat bites on baits and calculated the rodent infestation rate based on the number of bites out of the total number of baits in a district.

However, the new rodent rate for each district is based on the number of thermal images taken by heat detection cameras.

Young said the department has increased the number of overnight rodent control roving teams, which were launched in July 2022, from 19 to 31 late last year. "The teams are doing a good job on anti-rodent work, and we have increased manpower to form more than 60 rodent control teams recently to capture rats as the Lunar New Year nears."

The department plans to enhance publicity and education to raise awareness on rodent control.

"The key to control rodents is to eliminate the conditions for them to eat, live and move," Young explained. "However, those conditions are often created by some careless or uncaring citizens."

But she added that it is impossible to eradicate rodents.

"There is no place in the world that can reduce rodents to zero, but it is already a success if we can reduce their number below the reproductive rate and minimize their impact on citizens' lives and environmental hygiene."

Meanwhile, the shopfront extension problem has improved as the department only issued 92 fixed penalties last December, compared to 1,711 in January last year, she said.

The administration will continue to tackle hygiene black spots and promote environmental hygiene, Young said.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com