Living with rats is nothing unusual for the residents of Gabal Saad village. Salonaz Sami absorbs a fact of rural life "I don't understand why they are making a big deal out of nothing," declared Halima Gabr, 30, a housewife in the village of Gabal Saad. "We have always been living with them." Gabr was referring to the rat infestation at her village which lies in Fayyoum governorate. Indeed, it appears that the rat invasion only became newsworthy when Al-Ahram daily published an article on the subject on 3 March. In describing the plight of the village, the article gave an eyewitness account of a frightening scene at a small hamlet inside Gabal Saad. Large numbers of wild, aggressive rats had occupied homes, attacked residents and destroyed their crops over the past two years. As much as they tried, the article continued, villagers could not stop the rat attack which took its toll on every aspect of their daily lives. In short, the village was being held hostage to the rodents who ran rampant. But residents who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly appeared unfazed by the rat attack. "We are too accustomed to living around each other now, to the extent that we now call them family," Gabr joked. Having a few rats eating with the family at the dinner table is not an unusual scene, she added. Topographically, Gabal Saad is contoured by a mountain, a perfect breeding ground for snakes, rats and scorpions. Over the past 150 years, the best survivor among rodents has been the Norwegian rat, aka the brown rat. Brown rats live between one to two years, while females can give birth to more than 40 young ones in one year. Veterinary surgeon Nour Hashish describes rats as very intelligent, managing to survive and multiply despite many attempts to eradicate them. Their ability to feed on anything and weather all climates ensures their survival, Hashish told the Weekly. Gabal Saad is a model of the average Egyptian village, with its one- storey, mud-brick houses void of basic utilities. Living conditions for the 3,000 residents is typical of below- the-poverty line existence. The only health facility is a primitive semi- deserted building lacking any sign of medical care, except for the large banner above the entrance declaring "Gabal-Saad Medical Centre". The sewage system did not fare any better. It consists of a number of open drains obstructed by piles of garbage and waste floating on a sea of drainage water. It was unclear where the final destination of these drains is, but the stray cats and dogs feeding on the waste were as clear as day. Solving problems in rural areas is not generally a priority on the government's to-do list. State funds for desert development and improving living conditions in rural areas is an iota, compared to the budget devoted to the capital's burgeoning needs. Therefore, rampaging wild desert animals and mountain rodents are common occurrences in villages and shanty towns. According to Fayyoum Governor Major General Mohamed Magdi Kabesi, the rat infestation pales in comparison to the many vital services which his governorate lacks. "We are aware of the many problems we have," Kabesi told the Weekly. "Yet, there are priorities in choosing where to start." Fayyoum is plagued with a long list of infrastructure problems, lack of services and meagre funds, he explained. For many human rights organisations and NGOs, living conditions in villages and hamlets have been a major concern over the past years. While some reports cite slight development in the services provided to villages, the overall assessment requires various state institutions to urgently collaborate to make real improvements. "We are committed to handling any situation under any conditions with any resources available," Kabesi asserted. "We are also optimistic that in the near future the state will make available more funds to hasten our efforts in providing better living conditions." Surprisingly, Gabal Saad villagers only became aware of the unsanitary and sub-human conditions in which they live last week, when their village was suddenly bombarded by journalists following up on Al-Ahram 's rat attack story. They were shocked to learn that Gabal Saad is being referred to as the rat-infested village in news reports, especially that they did not feel there was anything out of the ordinary taking place there. They do concede, however, that the rodent population has increased recently, "but that's only because it's the mating season," according to shop-owner Islam Mahmoud. Although it may have seemed as unnecessary bad publicity, the Al - Ahram article caused the governorate to launch an anti-rodent campaign. But this ending is not a happy one. There are reports that the poison used to eradicate the rodent population was very palatable for the rats, who gladly feed on it and are getting fatter.
