The rat population along the embankment of the Xiangjiang River, a tributary of Dongting Lake in central China's Hunan Province, is being exterminated in the interest of dyke security.

On Monday, staff from the disease prevention and control center of the provincial capital began disseminating watermelon rind mixed with poison along the 300-meter-long Taozihu Lake section of the dyke, whose security has been threatened by the increasing number of rat burrows.

Serving as an important water buffer at the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake has been placed on flood alert, with one of its tributaries, the Lishui River, suffering torrential rains.

The poisoned watermelon rind will be very effective since rats find it "delicious" on sweltering summer days, said Li Pingfei, the official in charge.

Thirty-one dead rats were spotted Wednesday morning by staff from the Changsha disease prevention and control center while patrolling the Xiangjiang River dyke. Fifteen of the specimens were carried to the lab to be examined in order to formulate scientific proposals for the next phase of the operation.

The rat problem will be eliminated in about two weeks, Li said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2003)