PORT ANTONIO, Portland — Rats will continue to roam the streets of Portland for at least another month as stakeholders decide how to fund a $16.62-million eradication effort.

“The funding has to be sure before we can have a start date. So we are allowing all of us to go back to our entities and have the discussion on what level of support we can give and… at the next meeting… that can be shared — one month from today, March 20,” Portland medical officer for health Dr Sharon Lewis said at a meeting on Thursday.

The meeting was called to hammer out details on the level of financial and practical support agencies and organisations can provide. It came on the heels of concerns raised at the most recent monthly meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation that sections of the parish are plagued by rats.

Public Health Inspector Samuel Roberts, who is also parish programme specialist for port health and quarantine, had painted a grim picture at the Portland Municipal Corporation meeting of how rodents have made themselves at home in key sections of the parish.

“There is a high infectious rate of rats in the town of Port Antonio, especially the marina and the town centre, throughout the year. Complaints from residents about their huge size and visibility and sometimes [how they are] parading through the business centre of the parish is embarrassing, to say the least. The [Errol Flynn] Marina, Old Marina, the Boatyard and the wider Port Antonio area negate and diminish the tourism product and our living standards,” Roberts warned.

During Thursday’s meeting, Public Health Inspector Monique Brown provided clarity on the budget, which has raised some eyebrows.

“The budget is $16.62 million, but the budget for Port Antonio is $10,712,703 which is broken down so that everyone will know what the money is being spent for. It is a lot of money, and a little bit at the same time. We must realise that we have a serious problem with rats, and because it is a serious problem it comes with serious money. We want to put the rats in check and we can’t continue to have this over our heads. Even though the money looks high, we will find a way,” she noted.

“We have a high rodent infestation in Portland in terms of rats. We have received numerous complaints, we have seen them, they walk about in the early evening, the presence of rats at the ports of entry and the wider Port Antonio will diminish the tourism product and other businesses in Port Antonio, and we don’t want that,” Brown emphasised.

The eight- to 12-week effort to reduce the infestation to a tolerable level will include rodent baiting in prescribed locations, clean-up activities, health education at town hall meetings, public health meetings at strategic points, food handling operators’ meetings, as well as health education sessions for schools, churches, and community groups.

The medical officer for health pointed out that, in addition to the cash support needed, success hinges on collaboration and enforcement of the law for illegal dumping of garbage.

“Enforcement is the key and we will be collaborating to ensure that enforcement is strengthened going forward,” vowed Lewis.

Patrick Marshall, National Solid Waste Management Authority’s public cleansing manager, agreed.

“We need some form of enforcement to be stabilised in Port Antonio that we are serious about littering; not just the signage, but action. We have been fighting for this [cleaning up of the town], and we are glad that we can make some progress with this programme. We must have enforcement going forward and we must all be on it. We have to collaborate,” he urged.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Portland Eastern Ann-Marie Vaz supported the idea of enforcement.

“Until someone is put in prison or charged for illegal dumping then we are going to be cleaning up, cleaning up. There are a lot of business places that are contributing to this rodent problem that we are having. They are putting their garbage out in the street and into the drains and blocking it, and there are no repercussions for these actions. There are laws on the books but they are not enforcing them,” she said.

At the same time, the MP also promised that efforts are being made to address poor road conditions that hamper garbage collection.

There were also pledges of support for the rat eradication drive from the parish police, as well as local representatives of the Tourism Product Development Company.

It remains unclear, however, what will be done to address one factor that contributes to the rat infestation.

“The NWC (National Water Commission) sewerage system is in place, but about half of the residents are not attached to the system. Waste from their water pipe, with rice grains and other food, goes into the drain and feeds the rodents. It costs $279,000 to connect to the system and it is difficult for them,” noted Portland’s Chief Environmental Officer Lorenzo Hume.