Dear Editor
On Tuesday seven individuals, some in the uniform of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), visited residents in Uitvlugt on the West Coast of Demerara. Their stated purpose was to issue warnings to residents who allegedly dumped garbage illegally. It was made clear that the EPA will soon follow-up on these warnings by issuing fines.
The EPA’s visit was certainly surprising for residents as the first time we heard of this new enforcement programme. We are calling on the EPA to provide the public with the following information with all possible expediency: i the roles and powers of the teams that will make community visits; ii whether fines can be issued for alleged illegal dumping. If yes, how will fines be calculated and how payments will be made and finally the role of the NDCs and the RDCs in this campaign.
We urge the EPA to bear in mind that the NDCs make no provision for waste disposal in our community in spite of us having paid rates and taxes. We all incur additional expenses in paying a privately owned company to dispose of our garbage. We encourage the EPA, the Regional Administrations, and by extension the Government of Guyana (GoG), to consider these circumstances and design a waste disposal programme that would suit its purpose and benefit all involved.
Concerned Resident
Sincerely,
Amy D. Chins