February 12, 2008

Rat Invasion Leads to Near-Famine in Bangladesh

Posted by Suemedha Sood at 11:00AM

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150,000 villagers face near-famine in Bangladesh’s remote Chitagong Hill Tracts—the hills along the southeastern border with India--reports the UN Development Programme. And it’s all because an invasion of rats is destroying their crops.

For the first time in 50 years, the country’s bamboo forests are blossoming. The forests provide food to the rat population, though, which has led them to multiply by about four times. Then the rats proceed to eat all crops in sight. The northeastern Mizoram state has been badly hit, with 75 percent of agricultural land being wiped out by the rats.

The local people say the last time this happen was in 1958, and that the bamboo blossom happens twice a century. The Mizoram government has declared the area a disaster zone.

In 2005, when a similar invasion hit Nicaragua, the UN sent hundreds of tons in emergency food aid. But food aid is a short-term solution, and some aid workers on the ground in Mizoram say the rats will likely continue their destruction for at least three more years.

Those Bangladeshis affected by the famine are beginning to get aid from relief agencies, but it isn't enough by any means. Last year when the invasion first broke out, the Indian government offered monetary incentives for farmers to kill rats--2 Rupees per rat killed. As the UNDP continues to grapple with this problem, it needs to take into account long-term agricultural solutions versus short-term quick-fixes.