(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 27
By Farhad Daneshvar – Trend:
Following the recent tremors in capital Tehran, several Iranian officials and media outlets have voiced concerns over the growing risk of rodents threatening the health and safety of residents in the case of a possible disaster.
'Harmful animals such as rats are the second largest problem of the metropolitan after the issue of air pollution,' MP for Tehran Fatemeh Zolghadr said.
While the estimations suggest that at least 50 million rats live in the capital city, Tehran's Department of Environment has also warned against the threats of the rodents, saying these animals would pose enormous problems for those trapped under the debris of the collapsed buildings in the case of a possible disaster.
An earthquake of 4.2 magnitude shook west of the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, which reportedly was an aftershock of the Dec. 20 quake measuring 5.2 magnitude on the Richter scale.
Tehran is apparently losing battle to rats as the measures taken by the city officials to get rid of rats have led to nowhere.
In the Iranian capital city, like in many other metropolises, the reliance on warfarin to kill rodents has resulted in the development of warfarin-resistant species of the animal.
This is while the rodents that carry diseases easily transmitted to humans could quickly contribute to the spread of contagious diseases in the case of a possible earthquake in Tehran. According to estimations, the rodents in Tehran carry at least 20 dangerous diseases.
While the residents of Tehran produce about 9,500 tons of garbage, including plenty of fresh kitchen scraps which provide a desirable environment for the rodents to get as heavy as almost one kilogram, many experts believe the only way to keep the rats in control is through the waste management.
The threat of a deadly earthquake is always serious in any part of the country as Iran sits on major fault lines. Back in November, a 7.2 magnitude killed more than 600 people in the western province of Kermanshah. Since then several moderate tremors have jolted parts of the country.
The historical city of Bam in the southeastern province of Kerman became the victim of a deadly earthquake in Iran in the recent decade with a death toll of 26,000.
No one knows when a big earthquake will happen in Tehran, but with a history of spreading disease and leaving destruction in their wake, these rats may be a disaster waiting to happen.
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