MR. Khemraj Parsram, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an arm of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE), has called on residents to demonstrate social responsibility in order to sustain measures to be implemented in the $500M Georgetown cleanup.

This call came after the fifth and sixth community consultations were conducted by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development (LGRD) yesterday at the East Ruimveldt Secondary School and the West Ruimveldt Primary School respectively, where
Local Government & Regional Development Minister, Mr. Norman Whittaker; Acting Town Clerk, Ms. Carol Sooba; and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Collin Croal, were present.

LITTER WARDENS
Debuting the Litter Wardens Initiative under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the EPA Director noted that the initiative comes on the heels of the 2011 Pick It Up Guyana campaign, through which it was recognised that “there is a need for enforcement” of anti-litter laws.

Under the Litter Enforcement Regulations of the 1996 Environmental Protection Act, Litter Wardens are empowered to issue cleanup orders to citizens and businesses.

Parsram said that if citizens accept liability, a fine of $15,000 is mandatory; while, in other cases, the non-compliant resident would be expected to pay a maximum of $50,000.

Recognising the role of business owners in illegal dumping by means of vagrants, a two-week order has been issued by the Litter Wardens, depending on the size of the garbage pile. If owners are non-compliant, an immediate fine of $100,000 applies, along with the possibility of prison time.

Mr. Parsram disclosed that these Litter Wardens have been deployed at the Stabroek and Bourda markets, and will soon be dispersed to other high-profile, garbage-prone areas.

CITIZEN’S CONCERNS
One resident at the sixth consultation noted the condition of the East-West Market place, where it was found that some residents have paid vagrants to dump garbage throughout the market place. She stressed that this situation is of concern since garbage trucks pick up in the community routinely on Tuesdays.

Project Manager of the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Programme, Mr. Gordon Gilkes, in his response to some of the concerns, reassured residents that the Local Government Ministry would engage assistance of the Guyana Prison Service to undertake de-bushing and de-silting exercises.

Other concerns raised by residents included the clogging of drains by the establishment of high-rise buildings, which have sealed small drains thus making them inaccessible. It was noted that other residents have encroached on drains in the community by extending parapets and encroaching on the capacities of the drains to store and transfer water.

The Solid Waste Project Manager noted that the By-Law of the Georgetown City Council mandate that all building plans brought by Contractors must be approved by the Council. However, when questioned on whether the City Council has effectively monitored these buildings to ensure that construction was in keeping with what the Council had approved, Gilkes noted that there ought to be more work done in that regard.

Another concerned resident pointed out that there is a need for manpower from the community in completing the projects set forth by the Ministry. She questioned whether there would be compensation for persons who would have contributed to their community cleanup campaigns.

In recent consultations, Local Government Minister Mr. Norman Whittaker emphasised the need for community involvement and the use of manpower from the community. He underscored that the LGRD Ministry would be engaging community representatives through established community groups to ensure that the sustainability process is effective.

The move will see community groups presenting proposals for funding from the Local Government Ministry, which will be addressed to the Permanent Secretary of the subject ministry.

The Minister proposed that residents should conduct these works with oversight from an appointed Clerk of Works at the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

RECYCLING
Minister Whittaker, who recalled that he was a resident of East Ruimveldt in his younger years, pointed to the importance of other methods of ensuring the sustainability of the $500M Clean Up Georgetown Programme.

Whittaker disclosed that the Government of Guyana has been engaged by companies bidding for the establishment of a Recycling Plant in Guyana, and he said the Ministry had presented proposals to the Cabinet “based on an examination of several bids offered by a number of companies.”

He related that the Cabinet sought further technical and financial information, which he himself will present on behalf of the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry at the next Cabinet meeting.

The Minister noted that the intention of the proposed Recycling Plant is to reduce the amount of solid waste in the country by converting disposed materials into items that can be used for other purposes.

Minister Whittaker cautioned citizens, “It doesn’t matter what we do now; if we don’t maintain it (the state of the city after the clean-up), it means that we would have wasted energies and resources in this entire exercise.”
Written By Derwayne Wills