RESIDENTS of Golden Grove, Nabaclis, Cove and John, Victoria, and Belfield, East Coast Demerara are expected to vie for a $100,000 prize for cleanliness being offered by the Mangrove Reserve Women Agriculture Producers (MRWAP) of the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP). The Cleanest Village competition was one of several strategies formulated by the members of MRWAP, who have joined the Minding Guyana group in an effort to do something about the eyesore, health threats and stench of accumulating garbage caused by littering and improper waste disposal in their communities.
The decision was made during a meeting of the women, on Sunday last, at which a group of collaborating final-year Civil Engineering students of the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Technology, as special invitees, agreed to support the women by using their technical knowledge to find innovative and effective means of disposing and/or recycling plastic garbage.
The venue of Sunday’s meeting was the Mangrove Visitor Centre at Cove and John, and members agreed on several other measures to dispose garbage, including establishing skips large bins) at the eastern and western boundaries of the target area; supporting garbage collection and disposal efforts of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC); and disseminating information to increase public awareness on the ills of littering and/or improper garbage disposal.
Mrs. Annette Arjoon-Martins, who interfaces with the women as part of the GMRP Alternative Livelihoods programme, headed the discussions, and assured the women of GMRP’s support of their initiative.
Members of the MRWAP won the Biodiversity Conservation Award given by the 13th Sustainable Tourism Conference held in Guyana last week.
The group conducts, at the Mangrove Visitors Centre and Reserve, a nature tourism programme which attracts an average of two hundred visitors each month.
Chairperson of the group, Mrs. Carlotta De Jesus, has said that apart from the eyesore and health hazards the garbage problem poses, there is also a direct threat to the nature tourism programme. She disclosed that GUYOIL had provided the group with signage for public awareness in the campaign, and that members were very grateful for this support.
The group will meet at least once per month to: review progress and plan ahead to help villagers within the mangrove reserve to keep their environment free of garbage; and work along with the police to encourage legal action against persons who persist in littering and improperly disposing of their garbage.
Judging of the Cleanest Village competition within the Golden Grove/Belfield reserve will take place in August.