Malaga triples budget to eradicate rats and other pests after complaints pile up

Pilar R. Quirós

Malaga

Wednesday, 18 September 2024, 16:36

Residents in the Churriana, Haza de Cuevas (Carranque) and Parque de Huelin areas of Malaga city are complaining about an increase in the number of rats and other pests.

Malaga city councillor Penélope Gómez pointed out it is an issue affecting the whole of Europe and could be linked to the increase in temperatures. In order to tackle the problem, the environment department will triple the budget it allocates annually to rodent eradication, increasing it from 142,000 euros to 400,000 euros, Gómez told a council meeting.

"We are afraid because the rats run between our feet, as happened last week to one of the children (in the Parque de Huelin)," pointed out María del Carmen Aguilar, who said she was speaking on behalf of the mothers and grandmothers who take their children to the park.

Francisco Girón, representing the residents' association of Haza de Cuevas, in Carranque, also pointed out an increase in cockroaches and said a cleaning crew went to the area just when the Socialist party had presented the idea to a council meeting two or three days ago. They were also concerned about the appearance of mosquitoes which transmit the West Nile virus in Malaga, about which the Churriana resident, the long-standing veteran of the plenary hall, Carmela Fernández, said she wanted more information because of the anxiety it caused her local residents.

Councillor Begoña Medina said the increase in rodents and insects was a big concern in the neighbourhood, which had already been raised in several council meetings and that Malaga city hall should take action on the matter. She also asked Gómez to provide more information on the mosquito that transmits the West Nile virus, which has already caused the deaths of seven people in Andalucía.

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Deputy spokesperson for Vox, Yolanda Gómez, demanded more fumigation and pest control actions, while deputy spokesperson for Con Málaga, Nicolás Sguiglia, said his party had received complaints about the presence of rats in more than 20 locations in the city, and criticised the "shoddy outsourcing" of rat extermination services of which the company responsible, Andasur, had collapsed on 5 July due to bankruptcy.

Gómez pointed out the detection of the mosquitoes which transmit the West Nile virus in the area around the Guadalhorce river, in Campanillas, was carried out as part of preventative measures which have been carried out in the past four years. Their presence was reported (at the start of September), with Gómez criticising "the disinformation coming from the opposition groups".

"Public health issues should never be used as a weapon of war because it is unnecessary and the neighbours are concerned," she added. Gómez also pointed out that biological larvicides had been placed in the area, as well as traps, and said Malaga is outside the risk zone. "There have been no bites to date," she added.

The councillor for environment said the company that went bankrupt was urgently replaced by another, and that 2,219 actions have been carried out against rodents and insects in the city. "Their proliferation is something common, which is happening all over Europe" and which may be due to the increase in temperatures," Gómez added.

From the socialist motion, it was approved that Malaga city council should continue to provide information on the presence of the mosquito that transmits the West Nile virus and allocate resources to combat it, that cleaning and rubbish removal controls should continue in the area where there are a presence of rats, and that measures should continue to be taken "to resolve the serious problem of rodents in our city".