Rodent Stations: Dubai Municipality versus rats

Red rodent bait stations are being placed in front of high-rise towers in Dubai as part of a pest control exercise by Dubai Municipality-approved pest control agents.

“Do not touch, Poison Danger, please don’t remove,” warns the white letters in red background on the small boxes fixed in front of a high-rise building on Sheikh Zayed Road.

An official from the California Pest Controls whose number and contact details are given on one of the red boxes told Emirates 24|7: “There are different rodent bait stations kept at a specific distance in front of all the major buildings in the area.

“These stations are kept as per the Dubai Municipality rules by approved pest control companies like ours to trap and kill rats. Rodent bait stations are kept in front of the building, backside, in car parks and near garbage boxes where rats and mouse normally thrive,” said Mohammed Ijas, a pest control specialist from California Pest Controls.  

The bait stations are filled with rodenticides that can either kill or paralyse rats.

He said it is mandatory to use such traps and they do not pose any danger to the public because the poison is safely sealed in a station, and fixed to avoid spillover of the poison.

“The contents of the box are fixed with a screw and locked with a special key, which is kept with our security officer. Nobody can open the locked boxes without these keys,” Ijas added.

“Laying rodent traps surrounding hotels, restaurants, and other buildings is part of a regular campaign to control rodents and other pests. In the case of hotels, buildings, warehouses, bakeries and food companies, rodent traps are kept along the wall, because rodents penetrate and move along the walls. Licensed Pest control companies are executing these projects and the rodent traps are mainly kept in areas where there are rat problems,” said Boby Krishna, Food Safety Specialist, Dubai Municipality.

“The pest control companies are regularly surveilling some areas for pest and rodent presence. These traps help the pest surveillance operation too. The Pest Control Department and Food Safety Departments have been regularly engaged in the fight against rodents and other pests. In the case of restaurants, bakeries and hotels, their owners have to make sure that there are no rodents in or around their premises. In case our inspectors find rodent signs they are fined too because rodents and pests can cause food poison. Our vigilant inspectors look for rodent signs during their routine inspection and if they find some signs, the owners will definitely get a penalty.”

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