Traders in the Tema Metropolis are now fighting with invading rats and other pests who are tormenting them both day and night, the sellers are therefore calling on the Tema Metropolitan Authority (TMA) to urgently fumigate the markets and shops.
Some residents have also joined the traders in the crusade to get TMA to fumigate the markets, shops, and the communities as some recounted that the last fumigation was done in 2020 during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Emmanuel Tagoe a shop attendant at Community One Market stated during media interaction as captured by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) that “mysteriously the modern-day rats are huge yet very smart and move around swiftly without even being afraid of the presence of people, it’s difficult to even kill them.
Mrs. Judith Akpai a resident lament that: “we are now being forced to live with the rats in our communities worse off the shops and markets are crowded creating a safe haven for them, they always have places to hide, it is heartbreaking how they can enter the rooms to eat food and destroy things”.
Ms. Ophelia Tetteh, a beautician said “the rats have the ability and strength to create holes into the shop, they can chew the woods to have access to into the shop, once they enter you are in trouble they chew anything on sight whether edible or not.
“I have bought a lot of pesticides to get rid of those around but it’s becoming difficult, the rats are fast and I don’t know if they hear our plans for them, there should be quarterly disinfection to get rid of them”.
The residents especially traders appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Authority to fumigate the community, especially the markets twice quarterly to reduce the population of rats and other harmful pests.
“We are appealing to the Authority and Zoomlion to urgently fumigate the communities to eradicate the rat population and other harmful insects which have taken residence at the markets, shops, and restaurants,” the traders stated.
Other residents said the presence of some pests including rats poses a threat to their health and prosperities saying that some of the rats could penetrate their apartments to destroy their belongings.
They added that the rodents and other harmful pests have created discomfort as “we fear some might carry diseases from one point to the other, they greet you as you open your shop in the morning and say thank you as you close the shop in the evening, it seems you are handing it over to them,” a trader stated.
The residents indicated that they believe that, regular disinfection of the market space, public seating areas, and public toilets among others was one sure of eradicating the invasion of rats and other pests in the Tema Metropolis.
They also claimed that the irregular collection of accumulated refuse serves as a major breeding ground and feeding center for the rats, sometimes you will see a big rat running around in a broad daylight in front of the shops and the market.
In a related development, the TMA has rolled out Public Health Education campaign including one-on-one engagement with food vendors to educate them on food safety.
Mr. Wisdom Aditse, TMA Head of the Environmental Health Department said the Public Health Education Campaign would also involve the use of a public address system and information vehicles to go around the educate the public.
“We want to constantly ensure the safety of the food vendors dish out to the public, we don’t want people to go and buy contaminated food or consumed any food prepared under unhygienic conditions and environment,” Mr. Aditse has stated.
Mr. Aaditse mentioned that the food safety chain at every stage including; the production, transportation, storage, processing, and dishing out to the final consumer phases must remain free from any form of contamination.
“When we talk of food safety it’s right from the farm, location of the farm, source of water for the plants, how it’s transported from the farm, how it’s sold at the market, how it is cooked and served to the consumer,” he added.
The TMA Head of the Environmental Health Department indicated that a task force by the Assembly was always checking on issues related to food hygiene saying that, the intensive sensitization and education were also, to increase knowledge of food vendors on food hygiene and safety.
Source: Modern Ghana
