Dear Editor,
President Irfan Ali during the month of April, expounded on his plans for the modernization of Georgetown. He itemised a comprehensive method which expanded from improving roads to road safety and cleaning the drainage network of vegetation, solid waste and silt. I commend you Mr. President on this long overdue but decisive governance.
Mr. President, I wish to make the following few suggestions. You will have to work on the human element which consists of not allowing businesspersons to lawlessly, inconsiderately and with a filthy mindset, to dump their trash willy-nilly. Places must be found for the homeless and vagrants who undoubtedly make the streets and surroundings areas, their dumping ground.
Mr. President, as you so emphatically stated, ‘…the city deserves better than what it has today.’ In days gone by, Georgetown was clean, all waterways including trenches, gutters, canals and alleyways were clean and no littering nor dumping of garbage or debris existed. Flooding did not occur. Citizens used alleyways as shortcuts without any threat to life or limb. Youngsters learned to swim in the canals.
Garbage should be disposed of in a responsible way, into garbage and grocery bags so that after the collection of garbage and the emptying of bins, a residual stench does not remain in the bins or the streets. There must be bags for specific items such as recyclables and batteries, which could explode, cause fires and harm persons. Vapes are also becoming increasingly popular and they contain batteries. The upsurge in weight-loss injections would pose a risk to workers from needles improperly disposed of. Guidelines to residents on the proper distribution of waste items, should be constantly distributed or advertised.
The onus also needs to be on the companies collecting waste, to employ safe practices. There will be the need for training and surveillance by waste and recycling companies. Garbage collectors must be outfitted with gloves and if possible, masks. Sometimes the foul smell from a garbage truck lingers in the air from a long distance and with our present ubiquitous traffic congestion, it is nauseating. This also affects residents in the city. Mr. President, please restore Georgetown to its former position of ‘The Garden City’ and create motivating and more visible signs of progress and modernity. Create public spaces throughout Georgetown for people to pause and relax. Garbage and its proper monitoring and disposal is serious business. The time has come.