THE Ministry of Agriculture along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) – over the weekend – carried out simultaneous exercises along the East Bank of Demerara, West Bank and West Coast of Demerara and the Sophia area to curb the dumping of garbage by residents in drains and canals and on parapets impeding drainage. This is in keeping with the promise made by the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Robert Persaud at the Uitvlugt Community Centre last Tuesday during a meeting with Community Drainage and Irrigation Workers and Sugar Workers.

At that forum, numerous complaints were made by workers that residents are in the habit of dumping garbage in drains and canals and along parapets which cause blockage and eventually flooding.  

At the meeting, Persaud assured workers that he would look into staging special exercises to target citizens who are blocking the drainage system.

The exercise over the weekend saw persons suspected of dumping being warned and instructed by EPA Officers  to ‘cleans’ areas where garbage were dumped.  

A statement from the Agriculture Ministry said that when word of the Sophia operations spread, persons immediately began cleaning dumpsites and removing their debris from drains.

Along the East Bank of Demerara, the Eccles/Rumsburg NDC Chairman made promises to residents to provide 100 drums to assist in disposing of their garbage in a safe and clean manner and disposal of the garbage will be done by that NDC.

The Ministry said this exercise will be an ongoing one with the hope that dumping of garbage in drains and canals and along parapets will stop.

While this is not the mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture, the ministry said it is frustrated by the lack of enforcement by the concerned agencies.