Clementi hawker centre stallholders call in experts to dispose of trapped rats

SINGAPORE: As the authorities intensify their efforts to reduce Singapore’s rat population, stallholders at one hawker centre are doing their part in a unique way. 

Over the past three years, vendors at Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre have been collecting cash rewards for catching rodents at the market close to Clementi MRT Station.

The cash-for-rats bounty – which used to go up to S$100 (US$77) per rat but has since been reduced to a maximum of S$50 – is run and sponsored by the Clementi Town Shop Owners’ Association.

The cash reward first emerged in the public eye at the start of the month when Shin Min Daily News reported on it.

Now, stallholders told CNA they have been handing over trapped rats to licensed pest controllers after they were reminded not to dispose of them on their own.

COST OF DISPOSAL

Rats have been a persistent problem in Singapore, with experts previously attributing the issue to their quick breeding as well as poor refuse management and housekeeping practices, among other factors.

Enforcement action against premise owners for rat-related lapses rose about 26 per cent in the first half of this year, compared with the same period last year.

In August, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it detected an average of 5,400 rat burrows per cycle across Singapore in the first half of 2025. This is almost double the 2,800 burrows recorded in the same period last year. 

Participating stallholders at Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre said they joined in the bounty hunting to keep their market clean, using cages or glue traps to trap rats.

They are paid based on the estimated size of the rodents, which have mostly been found in the wet market area.

Vendors used to dispose of the trapped rats themselves as it used to cost up to S$80 to engage a licensed pest controller to do so. But they said that the authorities reminded them of the proper procedure on Nov 12.

The Jurong-Clementi-Bukit Batok Town Council, which oversees the hawker centre, also spoke to stallholders and now provides the service to them for free.

Before the pandemic, more than 10 rats were seen per day. This month, only a single rodent has been caught so far. 

“Over the years, there has been a lot of improvement. Only lately there are not much rats caught," said the market’s chairman Henroy Tan.

“Even this month, according to the town council’s report to NEA, it’s only one for (Block) 448. So the rat cases went down tremendously."

According to NEA guidelines, rat trapping can be carried out when rodenticides are not permitted or may pose a potential hazard, such as in food establishments or food handling areas.

When traps are put out, premise owners or managers should arrange for vector control operators to regularly monitor the traps for live captures and dispose any rat carcasses to "prevent any public health risks", state the guidelines.

“IT HELPED A LOT”

Mr Tan said that due to budget concerns, the maximum cash bonus had to be halved to S$50.

Last month, the association paid out S$240 for more than 10 rats caught. This was less than half of the 20 rats caught in July, which netted stallholders a total of about S$500.

Mr Patrick Sze, former chairman of Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre, said that the association decided to start its cash reward initiative after holding meetings “for many years” with various agencies without solving the problem.

"We hope that this programme (will not) stop. You see, once we stop, these rats – they give birth, I think minimum one time they give (birth to) 10 babies,” said Mr Sze.

“Just imagine if we stop this programme, I think they will come back very fast.”

The market will also undergo major renovations early next year, which includes plans to upgrade designs to keep rats at bay.

Hawkers told CNA the cash initiative has helped keep the rodent population under control.

“The project is very good … it helped a lot, and the town council and pest control also helped a lot,” said drinks stall owner Ng Peng Khoon, who has caught more than five rats since the initiative began.

“This is our duty to catch the rats, to keep the hawker (centre) clean,” added wet market vendor Chua Wee Seng.

“There are so many rats, so we just try to help to minimise – and the pest controllers come and they really help a lot.”