WITH increased commercial activities during the Christmas season, the streets of Georgetown are usually littered with garbage, but the situation is different this time around owing to a timely intervention by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

The support from the ministry is being channelled to the city through the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, according to Solid Waste Director, Walter Narine.

“The excess garbage being dumped on the shoulders of the road is being picked up by us, also by community workers employed by Ministry of Local Government – they have engaged in the various communities and they have also been assisting with the clean-up,” Narine related in an invited comment on Tuesday.

He said that as compared to the previous years, there are no issues this year as “all systems are working” and scheduled garbage collection is being executed on time and in accordance with the schedule.

Narine added: “We don’t have a problem. We really don’t have a problem with the garbage situation right now. The Christmas is going smoothly … I’m very thankful to the government for the support they have shown so far and I envisage that it would continue into the New Year.”
Last week, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, visited several communities across Georgetown to assess flooding and meet with residents.

The minister visited Charlestown, Albouystown and Riverview, where he saw garbage along the streets of those communities.
Minister Dharamlall swiftly engaged residents within the communities to swing into action and remove the debris that filled the drains, and the litter on the shoulders of the roads within the communities.

“I’ve gone into many communities and residents have raised the issue of wanton garbage disposal. We have asked the residents to form themselves in activists groups within the communities and they are cleaning the areas and we are working with City Hall to remove the debris,” Dharamlall told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday.

Minister Dharamlall related that in addition to named communities, there are other groups throughout the city which have been involved in the clean-up and his ministry intends to soon commence works in Newtown, Campbellville, Kitty and Bel Air, among other areas.