Dear Editor,
On any given day as one travels from Beterverwagting to Georgetown, one is apt to encounter obstacles to the smooth flow of traffic, such as packs of dogs, herds of cows, droves of asses or herds of horses. An alternate route to Georgetown via the Line-Top is just as picturesque. The fact that this has been a common occurrence for over a year would suggest that these happenings are ingrained in the system, accepted by the regulatory bodies for stray animals and ignored by wary passers-by. Carcasses of some of these animals are strewn across the road on alternate days of the week. Sometimes, a horse’s carcass would remain on the road for approximately 2 days.
At night, in the area around the Caricom Secretariat and the Conference Centre, a few vehicles have been known to be involved in accidents with cows or horses. The evidence is normally still there the next morning. Consequently, the accident ward of the GPHC receives more patients than they ought to, but it feeds a thriving industry – the roadside mechanic.
On any given weekend, one cannot help but admire the ability of the average Guyanese to convert any mundane place into a place of festivity, namely, the Seawall between Sheriff Street and the Ocean View Hotel. The quality is admirable; however, the considerable litter which remains in its aftermath on Mondays and Tuesdays is habitual, unhealthy and unsightly.
Le Repentir cemetery, the final resting place for a large percentage of our departed relatives, is an eyesore and a blight on the landscape.
There have been various clean-up campaigns which were commendable but which never got the full support of the citizens of Guyana nor of the city constabulary. The Joint Beautification Service Project of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lasted for 4 years and included other churches and youth organizations, but without the support at the highest policing and political levels, it was doomed to fail. Again, there’s the Pick It up Guyana Campaign, and we wonder how much effort will be invested in this campaign.
Many of the canals, more specifically, the ones along Lamaha Street and in many other residential areas smell as though they are receptacles for human waste. If the canals are not filled with filth inclusive of dead animals, they are clogged with plants of varying species or dark, stagnant waters. Desilting has become an activity of the past.
The once beautiful Botanical Gardens appeals for care and attention. The neglect is painful, for in the time of Mr Fernandes, lovers, tourists and citizens frequented the beautiful gardens.
One can only imagine the health issues resulting from the myriad areas of negligence. If the negligence is a deliberate act on the part of those in positions of authority, the objectives are hidden. If people live in squalor long enough, they will eventually accept it as the norm.
There is a direct relationship between urban blight and the crime rate. Visually unappealing environments attract loitering, dumping, destruction of property and other serious crimes. In the past, Le Repentir Cemetery has been a source of the dumping of human bodies and stolen vehicles and the refuge of criminals. The broken windows theory suggests that one broken window in a neighbourhood is an invitation to break more windows and eventually it creates a downward spiral where houses become abandoned, empty lots become overgrown, and residents become increasingly disengaged. Researchers suggest that this results in infrastructure decay, fear, violence and the rise of a drug culture. A collaborative effort with the Guyana Police Force could result in a lower crime rate and a greater desire to walk the pathways of Georgetown, unafraid.
Here are a couple suggestions which may help, and I offer my project management skills should the authorities need to pick up on my offer. First, the private and public schools, from nursery to tertiary levels, must make it mandatory for students to be educated in the upkeep of their educational environment and by extension, their community. Good and proper habits need to be inculcated at an early age and maintained throughout one‘s lifetime. The students must be seen to actually assist in the cleaning of the institution as we did when we were younger, and this garbage situation was virtually non-existent.
Secondly, the city council and the NDCs must remove these derelict vehicles from the sides of the roads and the dilapidated buildings need to be dismantled. Such vehicles and old tyres may be used in the fight against the merciless battering of the seawall by the forces of the sea. They can serve as groynes or artificial reefs for the spawning of marine life. Thirdly, beautification drives can be promoted and supported by the private and public sectors on an annual basis, for starters. All villages should be allowed to participate and the prizes could be monetary or better still, the complete paving of roads in the community, the proper cleaning of canals, street lights, a playground and a feature or two in the local print and TV media. Over 10 years ago, in the Brazilian city of Jundiai, an initiative called Delicious Recycling encouraged residents to get into the habit of collecting recyclable waste in exchange for fresh vegetables, grown locally. Another city in Brazil called Curitiba, was a model city, where for over 20 years, the citizens beautified the city themselves with little input from the government. Both cities are amongst the cleanest in the world and are tourist magnets.
Fourthly, they could be a debushing campaign that would last for a specific month or week, the dates to be set by the city council. Such campaigns would provide the impetus for Georgetown and its environs to become immaculate and retain some of its former beauty. Those who own trucks, back-hoes, bobcats, etc, would be invited to participate and citizens with forks, hoes and cutlasses could contribute to this most noble cause. By extension, there could be a bush-whacker competition held at venues in need of mowing and debushing. Owners of bush-cutters would compete to determine who cuts the fastest and the neatest, the prize being a long-term contract with the council.
Fifthly, since the city council is responsible for the issuance of licences to sell on the seawall, part of the agreement should incorporate a series of garbage bins in the vicinity of the vendors. The vendors should have to clean up their immediate environment prior to departure or lose their licence to sell. Garbage could be collected by the council from 5.30 am on the next day.
Finally, if the city constabulary is not doing its job of ticketing litterbugs, individual officers need to be fired with some measure of urgency. Surely, the monies collected from littering ($10,000) could assist in extending the reach of the constabulary and proving incentives as they ticket or arrest more of these reckless destroyers of the beauty of the environment.Since 1992, I have been writing about the garbage situation which is becoming progressively worse. George Orwell once said, “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
Yours faithfully,
Wayne W Barrow
