NEA to commence trial of thermal imaging cameras for rat surveillance at two locations next week

Source: Yahoo News

SINGAPORE -- Starting next week, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will begin trials on the use of surveillance cameras with thermal detection capabilities to monitor rat hotspots.

In a statement to Yahoo Southeast Asia on Tuesday (16 April), the agency said that it will start to deploy four to eight cameras in each of two hotspots. These cameras will detect rats by their body heat in outdoor and back-lane locations.

Thermal imaging cameras will be deployed at the first two locations for a two-week period. The authorities will then analyse the results and reach out to stakeholders, including premise operators, to put measures in place.

NEA said, "Enforcement action may be taken, depending on the observations and follow up inspections carried out by NEA."

CNA reported that the decision for these enhanced measures comes as there is an increase in recorded rat burrows in Singapore. NEA found an average of 5,203 burrows in 2023 - compared to 4,163 in 2022 - during each two-month survey cycle in public areas.

Following the first phase, the same locations may undergo another two weeks of thermal camera deployment to measure the success of the intervention measures. The data collected from these cameras will help premise operators to better coordinate cleaning, waste management, and rat control measures.