Dear Editor,
It is sickening to see the piles of garbage and debris constantly visible as one drives along Georgetown’s streets. In the heart of town where activity is greatest, the disgusting and unhealthy heaps of garbage include furniture, vehicles and other discarded items. To compound this impending epidemic, which is in its embryonic stage, the drains, canals and waterways consist of stagnant, murky water. This is as the result of the aforementioned clutter which is deliberately placed or thrown there by junkies, unconscionable citizens, businesses and the oil and fats from restaurants. These serve as a breeding ground for the Anopheles mosquitoes which spread malaria, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which spread dengue fever and other mosquitoes which spread diseases. More infectious agents arise from these breeding grounds.
The area surrounding Bourda market for blocks away heading north, south, east and west is revolting. This is a site for obtaining food, where apparently homeless persons can be seen bathing, or worse, next to stalls where food is sold. How can some boast of new infrastructure and buildings which one imagines the government and owners of those properties would want to maintain in pristine condition but they are in the centre of unsightly and unhealthy surroundings? It makes no sense. As is evident from the littering, we can only expect this situation to get worse. It is vexing to know that we have reached this stage.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Let us not reach the stage where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. No amount of oil will save us then. It is understandable, but unacceptable, that our leaders lack the will and ethics to make cleanliness of Georgetown and its environs a priority, as they do not spend much time around the city as ordinary citizens do. Let us not even talk about tourism due to the dirt, crime and traffic mayhem ravaging Georgetown and our other regions. There are countless other destinations around the world where one can breathe and walk without fear. These cities boast of uncluttered pavements and orderly and polite road users. There, one can casually enjoy and bask in, the aesthetics of the city and city life. I grieve for my birthplace when I think of how it used to be.
Sincerely,
Conrad Barrow
