Since the beginning of the year, nearly a thousand interventions, both ordinary and extraordinary, have been carried out for cockroach disinfestation.

A full-blown emergency since last January, especially during these hot months: reports from residents and business owners in all neighborhoods are steadily increasing, forcing the Municipality and Metropolitan City to work tirelessly with interventions in every neighborhood. And precisely to try to stem the invasion, a cockroach containment plan was implemented last week: a series of interventions have been scheduled throughout the city.

The numbers

Luisa Giua Marassi, Councilor for the Environment and Urban Ecology, provided a series of numbers and information on the problem, responding to a question from Roberto Mura (Mixed Groups) at the last City Council meeting.

"Reports of cockroaches are increasing," the councilor emphasized. "There's a proliferation, as in all urban areas with certain characteristics: high temperatures and high humidity. The sewer system and waste or food scraps left in the streets are another factor." According to the municipal environmental department, the increase in cockroaches throughout the city is largely due to the abnormally hot weather of this period. Garbage left lying around by uncivilized residents accounts for 20 percent of the increase. "In June," the councilor emphasized, "the Insect Control Center and Pro Service performed 26 routine interventions upon request. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 81. Meanwhile, on the extraordinary front, in these past six months, specialized workers have carried out more than 900 disinfestations."

The areas

Pest control and rodent control are entrusted to the Metropolitan City through its subsidiary Pro Service. Many reports reach the municipal Environmental Offices, which are then forwarded, after investigation, to the Insect Control Office, which organizes the interventions in collaboration with the Municipality and, if necessary, the Local Police.

"Last month, the most critical areas were Marina, Stampace, Castello, San Michele, and Sant'Elia," explained Giua Marassi. "Our offices, in collaboration with the Metropolitan City, have developed a practically daily response plan."

Mura believes this action is still insufficient: "I receive so many reports, and the interventions are probably not enough. We also need to do more to combat littering and prevent cockroach proliferation."

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