… mobile health unit set up to address their concerns
Several residents in East La Penitence and other neighbourhoods close to the Mandela Landfill Site continue to express concern over the conditions at the location, which is now under the control of Central Government. President Bharrat Jagdeo last month requested the Ministries of Local Government and Regional Development and Public Works to assist the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown in dealing with the issues involving the site in Le Repentir Cemetery.
Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn and Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall were assigned responsibilities and given resources to intervene in the management of the landfill.
After an inspection of the site last week, Minister Lall revealed that conditions had improved and the stench emanating from the accumulation of garbage had abated.
This, he attributed to the fact that the access ramp, which was encroaching on the entrance of the site, had been pushed back allowing  the machinery to gain access and push back the accumulated garbage which was creating  the stench.
However, in spite of this and many other  improvements , scores of residents in the surrounding communities report that they are still being affected by the acrid scent that continues to come into their homes.
Yesterday, Orin Persaud, who lives and works in the East La Penitence area , told the Guyana Chronicle, that even though the garbage is no longer piling up close to the roadway as before , the air still reeks of rubbish.
“This is a terrible  situation that is happening here; it has not changed and we the residents are still being affected by the stink smell coming out of that place,” he explained.
Mr. Persaud , in expressing concern for the health of everyone in close proximity, especially the children, said, “It is so stink, what will happen if there is an outbreak of any disease here and what about the children; we are big people and it is affecting us, much less the children.”
Another affected and displeased resident , Kenneth Lewis, who lives on Savage Street in North East La Penitence , said that his family is unable to eat meals in their home because of the pervading odor that lingers there.
“And so we go out to eat,” he explained.
He said, “We do not expect much to happen  in a hurry because the garbage will still be there when they close this site, it will not go away over night.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Shirley Primo, who has been living in the area for over three years, explained that she is frustrated with the entire situation since she has exhausted every effort to rid her home of the “nasty smell” coming from  the site.
She said, “I’m fed up with this, it does not matter what I do, my home smells like that garbage heap.”
Primo said that she remains concerned about the health risks she and her family face living in close proximity to the site for so many years.
In seeking to address the growing health concerns , the Ministries of Local Government and Regional Development and Public Works , and the Ministry of Health, on Thursday, deployed a mobile outreach health unit to the area.
Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, also visited the site and pointed out that the La Penitence Health Centre will act as the focal point for patients seen by the medical team, which comprises two medex and is supervised by the Chief Medex, Baldeo James.
While on site ,the visiting team also distributed flyers  on infectious diseases  and personal hygiene.
Alluding to this initiative, Ms. Primo said, “This is a good move to try to control an outbreak.
“But they should have visited the homes of the affected persons to really understand the conditions we are living under.”
Several other residents explained that they were not aware  of the visit  by Minister Ramsaran and are calling on the Ministry of Health to conduct a house to house visit in order to address the needs of  everyone.
Meanwhile, the Haags Bosch Landfill Site is scheduled to be opened by the end of this month; and according to Minister of Local Government, Kellawan Lall, all efforts are being made to ensure  that this happens.