The Region Two Administration is working assiduously to upgrade dumpsites in order to improve solid waste management within the region, according to the Regional Vice-Chairman Humace Oodit.
During an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Oodit said that recently a contract was awarded for the development of the Charity dumpsite. This, he said, will allow persons living in that area and its environs to utilise the site for the disposing of garbage. The various Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) within the region will be working with residents to ensure that garbage is not dumped indiscriminately in the communities.
He also said that plans are in place to upgrade a new site at Zorg-en-Vlugt in the extreme south of the coast. The project, he said, will be advertised shortly. He mentioned that over 150 acres will be opened up in the area for the project. He further added the site will create opportunities for others living in the environs since there will also be improved infrastructure.
“We will be developing the site but also when that happens the road will be developed and more lands in the area will become accessible,” Oodit said.
He also said other infrastructural work will be done to the road linking to the canal so that a network system can be created and farmlands can be linked.
“So that road will be done as an all-weather road and the same entrance will lead to the solid waste dumping site… once this happens then farmers will be encouraged to farm in the area because all the basic infrastructure will be provided” Oodit further explained.
Oodit said that the regional administration’s desire was for persons to act responsibly in the way they dispose of their garbage and to do so at authorised gazetted dumping sites within the region. He also said that the dumpsites will be monitored by regional public health officers.
He, therefore, encouraged persons not to dump their garbage in nearby drainage trenches that can eventually lead to clogged drains and flooding. Oodit said that over the years the Pomeroon-Supenaam region is known for its cleanliness and therefore residents should act responsibly in maintaining the same. The region currently has a private disposal service that usually picks up residents’ garbage at a cost.
