THE Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO) has called on the competent authority to pay serious attention to the way potentially toxic chemicals and gases are stored in local communities, as these pose various risks to public health and the natural environment.

Last week, the organisation noted that a chlorine leak at the Guyana Water Inc. Water Treatment Facility at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, affected residents in that area. “Many days after, there had been no official report on what caused the leak. No one knows the real effects on the health of the residents in areas contiguous to that facility,” ECHO said in a statement.
“We believe that GWI has an obligation to say the following: how is the gas used, stored and managed by that agency? What are the current monitoring and maintenance plans for those gases and allied chemicals, in facilities in that and other areas? What residents should do in the event of such a leak? What are the general and specific policies in place to deal with such incidents and accidents? What is the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in assisting to prevent such accidents?” the statement added.
In this modern time, ECHO said it is of the view that using, storing, and managing such gases and chemicals should be in strict compliance with a written hazard communication programme. Information should be provided on the action to be taken in the event of an accidental release of toxic gases and chemicals.
“Therefore, we are asking GWI to provide information on what is really happening at these facilities across Guyana. It is not enough for that agency to say that the leak has been contained. More needs to be said about the management of such gases and chemicals, in neighbourhoods that are very vulnerable to the effects of such leaks and spills,” ECHO said.