It is inconceivable to think that in the year 2015, Malta is so bogged down in beurocratic red tape, that it cannot take charge of a situation and deal with a rat infestation in an area in Mqabba.

Yesterday, this newspaper reported that residents of an area in Mqabba have been complaining about a rat infestation in a field next to homes since March.

The council took up the challenge and got in touch with the Health Inspectorate, but because the field in question is private property, they could not enter and as a result, the best they could do was lay down rat poison.

It is understood that the rats have made themselves a nest inside a vehicle in a privately owned field. Despite the fact that rats are doing as they please, tearing at garbage bags, sitting on top of cars, and generally living the life of riley, no one seems to be able to do anything.

The reason for this is that the Health Inspectorate cannot enter the private property without the consensus of the owner. The caveat is... wait for it... that the authorities cannot seem to track down who the field belongs to.

So, as a result, these residents are having to live with this infestation while  the buck keeps getting passed from one department to another.

This government seems to be one that decides that rules can be bypassed when particular situations arise. Sometimes with positive results, and sometimes with negative ones.

But in this case, it certainly seems that the government should get involved and either fast track the investigation to see who the field belongs to, or just give the health inspectorate a carte blanche to go and deal with the problem.

Not only are the rats tearing into rubbish and breeding completely unhindered, but they can transmit disease. When their number is big enough, they have been known to attack larger animals such as dogs and cats, as well as children and fully grown humans. If this problem is not dealt with sooner, rather than later, we could be looking at something bigger than a rat infestation.

If people get bitten by ticks that come off the rats, they can become very sick and such bites have even been known to be fatal.

The government must get involved and it must get involved now. If procedure does not allow for a full clean up, then procedure should go out of the window in this case. The health and the wellbeing of people is at stake, not to mention their mental health.

Some people are terrified of rats (for good reason) and they should not be expected to put up with them living on their doorsteps and be allowed to do as they please. Some might argue that rats have rights too. But when it is people’s health which is at stake, then that should be put first and something should be done about the situation. It is simply not acceptable in a modern society in the year 2015.