Residents of Ust-Kamenogorsk are complaining en masse about rats seen near garbage containers, in courtyards and even on children's playgrounds. Reports are coming in from various parts of the city, and residents are spotting the rodents not only at night but also in broad daylight, the website infohub.kz reports.

"The whole city is overrun with rats! Today on my way home from work (a 5-minute walk!) four of them darted off in different directions right in front of me! This isn't the outskirts of town — it's Potanina Street," one resident wrote.

According to the city's sanitary and epidemiological control department, 20 complaints on the matter were filed through "e-Өtinish" in the period of 2026 to date.

The agency cites the main reasons for the growth in the rodent population as the insufficient effectiveness of deratization, the absence of owners at container sites and the resulting shifting of responsibility for their upkeep, untimely removal of solid household waste, unauthorized dumps and the cluttering of areas around containers with bulky waste.

The department recalled that rats can be a source of a whole range of infections: plague, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, tularemia, hantavirus infection and others. However, the mere presence of rats does not mean a person will necessarily fall ill.

"The risk of infection depends on the number of rodents, the degree to which they are infected, the sanitary condition of the area, and whether humans come into contact with rodents or an environment contaminated by them," the sanitary and epidemiological service explained.

According to the agency, no cases of infectious diseases linked to rodents were registered in Ust-Kamenogorsk in 2025–2026.

Responsibility for deratization of basements, parking garages and other common areas in apartment buildings lies with property owners' associations (OSI) and apartment owners' cooperatives (KSK).

"Deratization costs are covered by the current contributions of owners for the maintenance of the common property of the condominium," the housing relations department noted.

It is noted that container sites were added to the list of areas to be treated against rodents starting in 2025. A total of 14 million tenge has been allocated for deratization in 2025–2026.

"In response to public complaints, container sites were included for the first time in 2025 in the list of areas subject to treatment against rodents," the housing and communal services department said.