INTRODUCTION
The Big Apple boasts a skyline with a rich history and cultural diversity that mesmerizes the world. However, beneath the surface of admiration lies a pressing issue that desperately needs to be addressed – the city’s pervasive rat problem.
As New Yorkers, we take pride in our bustling neighborhoods and vibrant streets, but there’s a darker side to the city’s charm which is often overlooked. According to the New York City’s Sanitation Department, the rat infestation has reached alarming levels, with a 71 percent increase in rat sighting reports since October 2020, tarnishing the essence of our beloved boroughs.
NEED FOR COLLECTIVE COLLABORATION
The rat issue reflects a lack of collective responsibility. Our streets are filled with leftover takeout boxes, food scraps, and other waste, making these streets a paradise for these rodents. On August 1st, 2023, the New York City Department of Sanitation announced an official notice for businesses to use a secure lidded container for food waste. However, walking through the streets of Manhattan at dusk, many businesses still carelessly throw bags of food waste on the streets without proper closure. These notices are not being properly enforced by the respective agencies. In addition to the lack of waste management, many landlords across the boroughs fail to address structural issues in their buildings, leading to infestations. Fortunately, many law firms are fighting for environmental justice such as the Manhattan Legal Service whom won a case against landlord Joseph Jemal and his company ICER for failure to repair numerous housing code violations. Upon inspection, there were 149 outstanding violations, and 36 of them were classified as “immediately hazardous”. This is completely unacceptable and this was only addressed due to the brave tenants who decided to take action. Many New Yorkers across the city are ignored despite reaching out to management. Yovanka Landa is a New Yorker who has been facing this issue and being disregarded by the building’s management. In an interview with PIX11, she showed a video of around 13 rats inside her Harlem apartment and expressed frustration with the lack of responsibility from the landlord, “The management [doesn’t] want to do anything. We’ve called them, we’ve sent emails, and nothing has been done” (“Manhattan Residents Consider Rent Strike amid Rat Infestation,” 2023). This poses a safety concern since she has a child with asthma and lives with her sister who’s pregnant, “I have a daughter who has asthma. I have a sister who’s pregnant.” Rodents are known to carry diseases such as plague, hantavirus, scrub typhus, Lassa virus, and leptospirosis. Exposure to these diseases can lead to serious illness or even death.
BIG IDEA
Although there are measures taking place by city officials such as deploying trapping devices and poisons, these measures are unmatched by the rodent’s reproduction rate. It is critical to target the root cause of these infestations such as driving down their food source and homes. It’s also crucial to enforce sanitation laws for businesses creating mass food waste and holding landlords accountable for building/health code violations. It’s time for us as a community to wake up to reality and take steps towards a rat-free future
Citations/Acknowledgments
DSNY – The City of New York Department of Sanitation. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.nyc.gov website: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/resources/press-releases/following-21510-warnings-in-a-single-month-all-food-related-businesses-can-face-fines-for-failure-to-containerize-trash-starting-tomorrow-9-1-23#:~:text=Since%20August%201%2C%202023%2C%20food
Johnson, S. (2023, March 2). Harlem Tenants Ask Judge to Penalize Landlord of Building Rife With Rats and Leaks. Retrieved from THE CITY – NYC News website: https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/03/02/harlem-tenants-landlord-rats-and-leaks/#:~:text=6%2C%20Housing%20Court%20Judge%20Michelle
Manhattan residents consider rent strike amid rat infestation. (2023, March 16). Retrieved from PIX11 website: https://pix11.com/news/local-news/manhattan/manhattan-residents-consider-rent-strike-amid-rat-infestation/
Suwannarong, K., & Chapman, R. S. (2015). Characteristics Associated with Contact with Rodents In, Around, and Outside Homes in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 92(4), 784–790. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.14-0195
Munshi-South, J. (2023, August 27). Opinion | I’ve Studied N.Y.C. Rodents for 12 Years. The Enemy Is Us. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/27/opinion/nyc-rats-eric-adams.html
(2022, October 20). These Are the “Rattiest” Cities in America — and Somehow NYC Is Still Not #1. Retrieved from NBC New York website: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/these-are-the-rattiest-cities-in-america-and-somehow-nyc-is-still-not-1/3915169/
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