An alarming surge in rat infestations across Bahrain has prompted urgent calls for government intervention, as residents complain of rodents overrunning homes, damaging property and threatening public health in both newly-urbanised areas and historic districts.
Municipal councils across the kingdom say they have been inundated with complaints, with hotspots appearing to be emerging in Hamad Town, Salman Town, Ramli and old Muharraq, where abandoned and protected properties have become breeding grounds for the disease-carrying pests.
Western Hamad Town councillor Abdulla Al Qobaisi warned that the situation was spiralling out of control, with rats infiltrating homes and destroying personal belongings.
“Rats have infested furniture, electronics and facilities in people’s homes,” Mr Al Qobaisi said. “Residents have repeatedly asked the Health Ministry to intervene, but delays in securing permissions from the Housing and Urban Planning Ministry and the Works Ministry have made matters worse. People have been forced to live alongside a growing rat population.”
He added that the rodents were multiplying rapidly, particularly in areas undergoing rapid urban development.
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