Mayor of Mobay Calls on Residents to Help Rid City of Rodents

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis, says residents of the city must be more mindful of their waste disposal habits as stakeholders redouble their efforts to curb rodent infestation.

At a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the St. James Municipal Corporation on July 25, Mr. Davis outlined that the rodent control programme is ongoing in the city, but the initiative can have a greater impact if all play their part.

“That is all I am appealing to our people. Let us be better citizens, let us keep our city space clean,” the Mayor urged.

He said citizens must take greater responsibility and adopt best practices in waste disposal in order to reduce the rodent population affecting the city and, by extension, the parish.

“We don’t have the resources to put one enforcement officer at every [garbage skip] location. People will have to adopt best practices for us to get the city to where we want. We have to take responsibility for our space,” the Mayor said.

He pointed out that government agencies, such as the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), have been investing resources in anti-litter measures.

“Shortly after I became Mayor, the Municipal Corporation, in partnership with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), installed some 150 garbage skips around the city, and they are cleaned every morning,” Mr. Davis indicated.

“[However], the rodent issue is an ongoing one. It is not a one-off situation and it comes about primarily because of how we dispose of our waste and garbage. Since I occupied this chair, we have made yearly allocations to the St. James Public Health Department for the eradication of rodents,” he added.

The Municipal Corporation had, earlier this year, convened a meeting with restaurant operators to discuss better solid waste disposal arrangements, to ensure compliance with the governing regulations.