Peshawar in search of Pied Piper

The provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been infiltrated by thousands of rats who seem to have occupied streets, hospitals, shops, and houses as permanent residences whereas as many as 3,000 people have been bitten by the rodents between January and November, according to a local news outlet’s report published on Saturday.

“We received more than 300 cases of rat bites in November. People come here to get vaccinated after the rat bites,” a spokesperson of Lady Reading Hospital told a local news channel.

He said that although the bites aren’t specific to any age, children under 14 years seem to be a top choice for the rats.

The most number of cases have been reported on Khushal Road where nine members of one family have been bitten by rats in the span of one year while one four-year-old child was bitten twice. In this regard, a resident of Khushal Road revealed that all her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren have been bitten by rats.

She emphasised that the area has been seeping in filth for a very long time, however, city government and district administration seem to be far away from the cities issues.

Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) said that they have devised a plan to catch the rodents and focus on cleaning different areas, a statement that was corroborated by KP chief minister’s (CM) Spokesperson Ajmal Wazir.

“Directions have been issued to them and they have been instructed to conduct an inspection as well,” he said.

On the other hand, citizens have started picking up trash in hopes that the growing problem would be curbed to some extent.