The Georgetown seawall beautification programme was yesterday boosted by the presence of the First Lady of Guyana, Arya Ali along with a timely donation of supplies.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) release yesterday, the First Lady took time out to honour a commitment made to local group Seawalls and Beyond, to participate in one of its clean-up exercises and to provide the group with much needed supplies to enable its work to continue.
Seawalls and Beyond is a photography page on Facebook where photos of the seawalls and beaches are uploaded by various photographers. It is the brainchild of photographer Darrell Carpenay after he became a member of a volunteer cleanup group that was inspired by the singular efforts of Carl Melville
Dwayne Hackett, the group’s coordinator, took the First Lady and City Engineer Walter Narine on a mini tour of the area, pointing out work already done and some of the challenges which will need to be addressed if the area is to be transformed into a tourist hub. Some of the issues highlighted are: the occupation of the area by vagrants, inadequate lighting, unregulated vending, and the absence of washroom facilities and a potable water source.
After completing their assessment, the group returned to cleaning with the assistance of the First Lady. She later declared that her participation was an indication of her commitment to the restoration of the area. She pointed out that the cleanup efforts complement her National Beautification Project which emphasises scenic conservation, aimed at safeguarding the scenic qualities of Guyana’s roadways, urban spaces, and countryside. One of the pillars of the National Beautification Project focusses on regulation and monitoring of any form of unlawful intrusion on the landscape or community appearance of public spaces.
While the removal of waste is currently being done by volunteers, Ali acknowledged the importance of maintenance and has committed to engaging the relevant authorities to ensure that the area is properly maintained.
She has also indicated that part of her restoration plans for the Seawall includes the planting of trees along the coastline, and the reintroduction of the creative arts at the famous bandstand.
After cleaning was over, the First Lady made a donation to the group of cleaning supplies and equipment which included pitchforks, spades, buckets, and brooms which she was able to acquire through the private sector. In doing so she fulfilled a commitment she had made to members of Seawalls and Beyond, earlier in the week after the group submitted a list of items it was in need of. The items were provided courtesy of National Hardware, Gafoors, Caribbean International Distributors Inc (CIDI), and Cellphone Shack, the release added.
