Community clean-ups in the city under the government’s national ‘Clean-Up My Country’ project are close to 50 per cent completed, Minister of Local Government Norman Whittaker said yesterday.
At a press conference at the Ministry’s boardroom in Kingston, Whittaker said the major canals being cleaned and de-silted are 95 per cent completed. Also works in Le Repentir Cemetery are progressing.
Whittaker was confident that the clean-up project would wrap as planned by December 31.
He also said that he, along with Permanent Secretary Collin Croal, will be meeting with the Neighbourhood Demo-cratic Councils (NDCs) across the country to discuss the projects being conducted.
Croal said that the seven main canals being cleaned are 95% completed. A portion of the Church Street canal, in the vicinity of the Bank of Guyana, however, is still to be cleaned. Works in the area are expected to commence on Sunday.
The selected canals chosen to be de-silted and cleared are the Princes Street, Sussex Street, Church Street, Irving Street, Lamaha Street and Young Street canals as well as the Downer Canal.
Croal also stated that works in Le Repentir Cemetery, which was divided into seven blocks, are still underway. Block one is 95 per cent completed; block three, 80 per cent; block four, 70 per cent; block five, 50 per cent; and block seven, 90 per cent completed.
However, Croal explained that evaluation of blocks two and six have not been completed.
De-silting of drains as well as the grading of the internal streets of the cemetery and removal of shrubs are still to be done. Fifty bee hives were removed from the cemetery so far during the clean-up.
Also speaking at the press conference was Public Relations Officer for the project Olive Gopaul, who said that littering remains a challenge. She called on citizens to recognise the positive impact of the exercise and not litter. Moreover, she called on the media to encourage its viewership to curb the culture of littering.
Sustenance of clean communities
Whittaker said that the clean-up project is geared at encouraging citizens to keep their environs clean. As a result, he emphasised that it was in their interest to maintain the cleaned up surroundings. According to the minister, clogged drains provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes that cause diseases such as chikungunya and dengue fever.
Following the conclusion of the project, the city council will be responsible for the sustenance of the clean communities and the cemetery. He said that his ministry will also be fixing two of the council’s garbage trucks. One has already been fixed, he added. Training will also be given to operators of the digitally operated trucks, the minister further mentioned.
At the end of the Georgetown phase, $320 million would have been expended. $225 million has been paid out in contracts thus far.
Some of the communities cleaned include Lama-ha Park, West Ruimveldt, East Ruimveldt, Kingston, Tiger Bay, Alexander Village, Stevedore Hous-ing Scheme and Albouys-town, among others.
The clean-up project commenced in August. It has been running simultaneously across the country.
