Dear Editor,
In the last two weeks I read at least three news articles in SN and several letters dealing with the rise of chikungunya cases. If thousands of people (out of a workforce of 300,000) are infected with chickungunya the consequent lost days from work could severely impact the economy.
While little or nothing can be done in the short term (3-12 months) to address this problem, the Government of Guyana should begin to study and plan for the long term. Government must recognise that the major source of mosquito breeding is the stagnant water in uncovered drains and trenches that exist in the capital city Georgetown and in the villages. These drains must be concreted and covered, and flushed regularly.
With rising revenues in the treasury, government must develop a vision and plan to move Guyana into the 21st century. Uncovered drains with stagnant water must be a thing of the past.
Seed money of US$20 million would be adequate to start a factory to mass produce standardised concrete slabs to retrofit all of the drains in the capital city. Hydraulic machinery with trained manpower can dig and prepare a few miles of drain in a day. Small teams of workers can fit and seal the concrete slabs in position, doing a mile of drain a day. Special trucks fitted with hydraulics to lift drain covers and containing 500-gallons of water can be utilized to flush all drains once a month.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
