Dear Editor,
The disposal of garbage in Region Two has become an issue, but I do hope that with the acquisition of a garbage disposal truck by the Anna Regina Town Council, residents of this region will be better able to dispose of their waste, so we can have a more beautiful and healthier environment.
But while I agree that some residents do not see it fit and proper to spend some time and money to dispose of their garbage in a way or place that would ensure clean and tidy surroundings, there are other areas where the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, the Regional Democratic Council and the Anna Regina Town Council need to do much more to keep this region clean.
There are some persons who, because of the area in which they live, cannot burn the waste they have, while others can. In other areas persons dump their waste into the rivers, which may not be the best thing to do either, and some bury theirs once yard space is available.
Let’s look at the markets owned by the NDC and the Anna Regina Town Council in the region:
1. Supenaam Market has quite a large number of vendors, but there is no system of collection and disposal of garbage, so the vendors have no choice but to dump the waste at the side of the market on an unoccupied piece of land, much to the annoyance and discomfort of the people living nearby. Despite several complaints to the Good Hope/Pomona NDC, the situation over the years has been getting worse and no visible attempts are being made to have this illegal and most unwanted situation corrected. The pile of garbage there now is about 12 feet high.
2. The Suddie Market which has more than ninety vendors and is managed by the Riverstown/Annandale NDC: The waste generated here is placed next to the entrance of this market and near to several snackettes. This heap of rubbish is an eyesore.
3. The Bush Lot Market: While the waste is placed in a trailer parked by the roadside, most times this trailer is unable to hold the amount of garbage, so the rest is placed at the side of the trailer on the road. The same thing can be said of the Anna Regina Market (Old Market), a market that has more than one hundred and fifty vendors. Both markets are owned by the Anna Regina Town Council.
4. Then there is the Charity Market, the biggest of them all in terms of size and the amount of vendors, but there is no prompt and adequate collection of waste generated here, although the financial records indicate that there is in excess of ten million dollars in its account. This market is controlled by the Charity/Urasara NDC.
There is the Suddie Public Hospital, where the medical waste for years now is not disposed of according to public health rules and regulations. At one time it was thrown in the Onderneeming cemetery and residents in that community complained. Now it is disposed of at another area much to the discomfort and dismay of the people living there also.
I can remember a couple of years ago, the issue of the medical waste from this hospital and the Charity hospital was discussed at length at a meeting of the Region 2 Regional Democratic Council, and it was said that a funding agency was to provide the money for an incinerator, primarily for the Suddie Hospital medical waste. I would not be able to say if that promise was made good on, but if did not, it is time that the Ministry of Health built this much needed incinerator.
There is much more the citizens of this region, the NDC, the RDC and the Anna Regina Town Council need to do, so that we can be labelled as not only the most hospitable people of the country, but the people with the cleanest and healthiest environment.
Yours faithfully,
Archie W Cordis
