The Upper Pest Side

The Upper West Side, one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, has attracted a large group of undesirable residents that Mayor de Blasio vowed on Thursday to wipe out: rats.

The rodents are thriving in parks, playgrounds and schools, leading the city to launch a $750,000 effort to contain them.

“What is unacceptable is to have the quality of life of people in our neighborhoods undermined by rats,” de Blasio said at Hippo Playground in Riverside Park.

The rat-eradication plan will begin “immediately,” he said.

Upper West Siders have been complaining for months about a rat scourge in local parks and playgrounds, said Assem- blywoman Linda Rosenthal, whose office fields calls about the problem daily.

“We had a huge number about a month ago, just every day,” she said.

To ease residents’ concerns, the city plans to replace wire trash cans with 29 solar compactors and four solid steel cans at eight playgrounds and parks, including the notoriously rat-infested Diana Ross Playground in Central Park. Several schools will also be targeted.

And the Parks Department will begin issuing violations to vendors who leave food scraps.

Parents at Hippo Playground said the effort can’t come soon enough.

“Honestly, the rats are everywhere,” said Grace Hartman, 32, who brought her two kids to the playground.