Real rat highways in some alleys of the Neuhof

The highway of rats. Between the local trash, yet recent, and the embankment located less than ten meters, a narrow path is well delimited by its absence of grass. A route to a pantry traced by the comings and goings of rats in the area of ​​the Reuss alley at the Neuhof. A district of Strasbourg affected by these rodents like many others in the city. “Knock on the door of the room, you will see them come out from everywhere!” »Assures Maria, a local resident.

A path traced in the grass by the comings and goings of rats. Strasbourg November 16, 2021 – G. Varela / 20 Minutes

Thérèse, 85, confirms. She has lived in the neighborhood for forty years. She is “disgusted” by this situation and nostalgic for a time when “people were careful” with their waste “and others”. Leaning out of the window on the raised ground floor, she points to a large box of rat bait, recently placed on the ground near a small window that leads to the cellars. “Since there are a little less, but three weeks ago, the garbage collectors entered the garbage room of the building and around thirty rats sprang up. There is one who took a shovel, ”says Thérèse. “Fortunately I have my dog, he runs after them,” explains Hervé, a sixty-year-old exhausted by the situation. They go through all the holes, in partitions, cellars, There is also a big problem with bedbugs. The table is complete.

“There is not much that is done and it is not a poster that will change things,” says Patricia. There are some who throw their trash through the window or leave their trash in the street just outside, because they don’t want to approach the room because of that and after that feeds the rats, it’s a vicious circle. “

Chemicals are not enough

The problem of this impressive proliferation is not new in Strasbourg. After a six-month information and assessment mission, Benjamin Soulet, deputy mayor in charge of territorial equity and city policy, took stock of the strategy put in place during an operation Tuesday in the Allée Reuss sector in Neudorf. Accompanied by Salah Koussa, president of the social landlord Ophéa, representatives of the hygiene and health services, specialists in rat control, a representative of the district, maintenance agents, they detailed the strategy put in place. since the end of October.

Waste in a street of Neuhof in Strasbourg.  May 16, 2021.
Waste in a street of Neuhof in Strasbourg. May 16, 2021. – G. Varela / 20 Minutes

A strategy that will also be deployed in other areas of the city. “The idea of ​​this commission was to go further, to work on the very causes of the phenomenon because there can be only one chemical solution, even if it can be used. Moreover, it is less and less effective and its use must be limited to a precise action and short in time, as required by the regulations ”, adds Benjamin Soulet. For city services, the fight also and above all involves information and prevention. “Letters have been sent to tenants. Information posters placed in the halls of buildings. This will also involve the intervention of mediators, awareness campaigns, list Benjamin Soulet. Throwing your trash out the window is to feed the rats. The inhabitants must also participate in this fight against rodents. “

The installations in the Neuhof in Strasbourg are helping to fight the proliferation of rats.  Neuhof Strasbourg on November 16, 2021.
The installations in the Neuhof in Strasbourg are helping to fight the proliferation of rats. Neuhof Strasbourg on November 16, 2021. – G. Varela / 20 Minutes

Prevention, but also action. The city, supported by social landlords, tackles technical problems adapted to each situation and identified. Such as the installation of fine mesh grids, the cleaning of green spaces, the obstruction of holes in the walls, the spaces under the doors… The lessor Ophéa is strengthening its teams and announcing the recruitment of six additional employees who will form a mobile team. Measures appreciated by residents, even if some hoped for much more firmness, such as “fines withheld from the rent of tenants who throw their waste anywhere.” The battle is on.

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