Dear Editor,
On Monday May 23, during a rehearsal for the Independence flag-raising ceremony in Georgetown, the organizers of the event saw it fit to set off fireworks at D’Urban Park. Now this means that fireworks are going to be a part of the grand event of the Independence Anniversary flag-raising ceremony itself. This is the first time that an Independence flag-raising ceremony would not be held at the National Park, Thomas Lands. Previous fireworks for Independence and New Year have been set off north of the Georgetown seawall – over the Atlantic Ocean safely away from populated areas and away from green areas.
The decision to use fireworks in such proximity to the Bird Sanctuary and the National Zoo in the Botanical Gardens is selfish and heartless. I was at D’Urban Park during the rehearsal and I saw how many birds scattered upon the massive explosions. The Bird Sanctuary is within 200 metres of the explosions and birds asleep in their nests at night are bound to be startled and disoriented by the massive fireworks. Those that do not die from the shock waves are going to scatter far away and not return. This has happened in many places before. Why are we doing this in a city and country in which we boast of going green, caring for the natural environment and everything in it?
Fireworks of this magnitude are no thunder king squib. There is a reason why fireworks of this magnitude are handled by the military. This is not stuff civilians play with. There is a reason why these kinds of fireworks have been set off north of the seawall, over the sea ‒ two miles away from this location and not over the heads of people or nearby houses. Do I like to see fireworks? Absolutely, they’re beautiful. But balancing the need for 5 or 10 minutes of pyrotechnic display against emptying out the Botanical Gardens of its avian population is downright foolish; there is no way any sensible person in a ‘Green Economy’ could ok this. Let me hasten to add that the Botanical Gardens are part of this country’s national patrimony. Already in recent years, the eastern-most section (east of Mandela Avenue) was parcelled out to private owners and one embassy. Valuable green spaces are gone thanks to a past government that couldn’t care less about national patrimony and protecting the environment. Now we are seeing a disregard for the natural resources within the remaining part of the garden.
The Guyana Tourism Authority website says this about the Bird Sanctuary: “The Botanical Gardens in the capital city of Georgetown was on November 18, 2011 declared a ‘Bird Sanctuary’ by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. Guyana with over 870 species and counting is a birding hotspot and
paradise, and has been described as ‘the top new neo-tropical birding destination and one of the best birding spots in the world.’”
The activity was part of a series of activities for Tourism Awareness Month, being observed under the theme ‘Achieving Service Excellence through Training.’
The Botanical Garden which is an important birding area in Guyana, has a land mass of 185 acres and an amazing over 189 bird species from 41 families. Speaking at the Bandstand in the Botanical Gardens, the Minister said, “We want to guarantee a safe haven for the birds of the Botanical Gardens, and in partnership with the National Parks Commission and the Guyana Amazon Tropical Birds Society, I take great pleasure and pride in declaring the Botanical Gardens as a Birding Sanctuary – the first such sanctuary in Guyana.”
I am calling on the authorities at this last minute to halt the use of fireworks at the flag-raising ceremony. We can have a good time celebrating the Independence without fireworks. It is not worth the 5 minutes of pyrotechnics to the detriment of the lives of the fauna in the Botanical Gardens and those held captive in the zoo. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the jaguars being held in the zoo were to die as a result of the shock suffered from explosions nearby?
Yours faithfully,
Dwayne Hackett
