Amid concerns over the stench caused by drying of shrimp along the Zeeburg seawall, acting chairman of the Tuschen Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Khusial Mangra said it is trying to address the situation.
Residents indicated to this newspaper last Friday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had been summoned to look into the problem. When Stabroek News contacted the EPA, an official from the agency informed us that it is currently examining the issue.
Stabroek News was told on Tuesday via a telephone interview with Mangra that the problem has been in existence for a long while, and efforts were made before to resolve it. He added that cleaning of the polluted drainage trench, and attempts to remove the men from drying shrimp on the seawall were some of the previous efforts made by the NDC to address the problem.
According to Mangra, members of the NDC visited the area last Friday and spoke with residents and the headmistress of the Zeeburg Secondary School concerning the problem, but nothing much came out of the meeting.
Another meeting with the shrimp dryers was supposed to be held yesterday to assess whether any consensus can be reached between the shrimp dryers, residents and the NDC.
The acting chairman also noted that the men are not willing to cooperate and complained that shrimp drying is their means of generating an income despite the effects it has on others in the community.
Mangra also said that the NDC is doing all it can at this moment, adding that there is not much that can be done. He said that if nothing fruitful comes out of yesterday’s meeting, the issue would likely be forwarded to the Regional Democratic Council.
The drying of shrimp along the Zeeburg seawall has raised significant concerns among residents, teachers and students of Zeeburg Secondary, which is located in close proximity to the operations.
The stench, the flies and the polluted drains in the area have caused great discomfort to teachers and students in the nearby school.
Residents have complained that they cannot open the doors of their homes due to the stench. Concerns were also raised about potential health problems developing due to the high number of flies in the area.
