Dear Editor
PLEASE permit me space in your newspaper to address a matter of concern to all citizens. It is with great concern that I read an article published in the Stabroek News which states that a pig farmer secures [an] injunction to block the city from evicting her. Every situation has a genesis. Therefore, even though the animal farmer is in total violation of the laws, the head of the Environmental section of the city must take full responsibility for this flagrant violation of the public health laws that has occurred and is allowed to persist.
Persons may want to blame the pig farmer, but where was the council’s chief sanitary officer from the onset of the pig farm?

Just imagine a pig farm is allowed to function within [the] very confines of the city’s space. Also, the land on which the farm is operated belongs to the council. Moreover, the worst case scenario is the land closely adjoins the Le Repentir Cemetery. The very thought of pig farm in close proximity to [a] cemetery raises eyebrows. I am seriously considering how the health of the population is placed at risk, because of the possibility of contamination and cross-contamination and migration of micro-organism.

The Georgetown City Council has a public health department that is responsible for addressing these and other environmental health issues. How could it be that the Council has an environmental health department and matters such as these continue in many local communities in the city? This simply means that the department is not functioning the way that it should. Very often the cry of the council is we do not have [the] necessary manpower. But with the limited human and other resources, I am quite sure that much more can be done in local communities to effectively address prevailing environmental health issues and simultaneously preserving the health of citizens. Is this a sign of ineptitude, laziness and lackadaisical behavior on the part of some city officials who sit around all day, do nothing and collect lofty salaries at the expense of the health of the citizens?

It is rather preposterous that the animal farm has moved from asking for time to filing an injunction against the council. This is nauseating and sickening news to hear. However, it is important that officers who allowed this to persist under their stewardship, take full responsibility. I firmly support the view that both chief and deputy chief health officers of the council should be appropriately sanctioned for putting the health of the population at risk. It was observed that the pig farm was in operation for many years and no action was taken to address the matter. It [is] reasonable to conclude that if the chief environmental officer had acted promptly and appropriately, this would not have been the state of affairs in the city.

This occurrence points to the need for strong environmental advocacy groups in Guyana that will promote environmental issues on behalf of the suffering citizens who do not have a voice on these issues. Strong pressure groups would allow for the feet of erring officers to be held to the fire, so that environmental standards would be upheld. In addition, there is also an urgent need for central government to provide available spaces away from the city for animal farmers to ply their trade.

It is time that certain officers get off of their man-made thrones and do the work that they are paid to do at the council. Over the years, I have observed that the best place to work in Guyana is the Georgetown City Council. There is no place like Georgetown City Council, where an officer of the health department can be seen during working hours imbibing alcoholic beverages at ‘bam bam alley’ in full view of all; what lawlessness!

I conclude with this famous saying–one rotten apple spoils the entire barrel. The chief sanitation and deputy health officer must be made to account for their actions or inactions.
Regards
Grantley Moe