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Rats infest mound near Bukit Batok MRT Station

SINGAPORE — In recent weeks, commuters at Bukit Batok MRT Station have been greeted by the sight of numerous rats scurrying on a mound behind it.

Mr Robin Ong, 30, a Bukit Batok resident, says the rats appear to be building nests 
and pathways.
Photo: Ernest Chua

Mr Robin Ong, 30, a Bukit Batok resident, says the rats appear to be building nests
and pathways.
Photo: Ernest Chua

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SINGAPORE — In recent weeks, commuters at Bukit Batok MRT Station have been greeted by the sight of numerous rats scurrying on a mound behind it.

And the numbers appear to have grown to a full-size colony, residents said, despite the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) efforts to trap the rats by using traps and poison.

The problem was first reported by Lianhe Wanbao last Thursday. But the worsening situation prompted a resident, Mr Ryan Keith Smith, to post a video of the rodent infestation on Facebook on Tuesday. The clip went viral yesterday.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, Jurong GRC Member of Parliament David Ong, who looks after the Bukit Batok division, said he first heard of the problem a week ago. Mr Ong, who is also the chairman of Jurong Town Council, said he has brought up the matter to the HDB, which manages the piece of land. He attributed the rodent infestation to the feeding of stray animals in the vicinity, as the rats feed on the food left behind.

Adding that he was confident the problem will be addressed soon, Mr Ong said: “We are also going to work with the National Environment Agency (to take enforcement action) against indiscriminate feeding because it is also considered littering, and we’re going to continue engaging the (stray animal) feeders.”

The mound is located beside the train station’s bicycle rack and near a fast food outlet. Residents entering or leaving the station may have to pass by the area, where dozens of rats can be seen, especially when night starts to fall.

Mr Robin Ong, 30, a Bukit Batok resident, said he was shocked when he noticed the rats about a week ago. He said he immediately notified the train station staff.

“But from what I see now, the infestation is worse than before because the rats are now building nests and pathways. The whole place looks like a zoo and I don’t think the authorities have done anything about the problem,” he said.

Another resident, Ms Coral Min, 30, said she was put off by the sight. “But as long as the rats don’t come into the train station, I wouldn’t mind walking (past the mound),” she added.

Others such as Mr Hanson Heng, however, shrugged it off. “There are more disgusting ones, like the huge rats that live in the drains,” said the 27-year-old cost controller.

The forested mound behind Bukit Batok MRT Station was in the news previously, after some residents complained about stray dogs residing in the forested area which were harassing passers-by and barking loudly at night. The Jurong Town Council engaged pest controllers to trap the dogs, but the method employed riled animal welfare groups. The town council then worked closely with the groups to humanely trap the dogs.

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