Dear Editor,
Permit me a space in your newspaper to air an opinion that I believe is vital and can be implemented by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and by extension the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development for the upkeep of the Le Repentir cemetery. Construction work has commenced on the new four (4) lane road from Princess St. to Mandela Avenue, as such traffic slows down actually to a halt sometimes. Great for the development of Guyana as more inter- connecting roads are widened, constructed and enhanced wherever possible. Having said that, as the traffic slows down, you have a firsthand look at the ongoing cleaning exercise in the cemetery. As a trained agriculturalist, I think the method/s applied by the contractor wouldn’t yield the desired results as it points to weed control.
The burial ground span acres of land that is literally blanket covered like an abandoned cane field that is in the process of a fallowing period. The noxious weeds like ‘ANTIDESMA’, CONGO PUMP etc. to name a few together with the antelope grass, cannot be suppressed by a few 20 oz bottles of weedicides, impossible. Clearly an exercise in futility. This project needs a trained agronomist, to assess the condition/s on the ground and recommend the applicable weedicide for the respective weeds in the burial ground. Weedicides are of two (2) types, pre-emergent – to be sprayed before the weeds emerge and post – emergent – to be sprayed after the weeds emerge, Hard chemicals, like 24D, Merlin, Diuron (KARMEX), Glyphosan or any chemical with Glyphosate as the active ingredient would yield the requisite result. The above will need drums of chemicals for such large acreage.
Now, there are several spray hands that were laid off from the East Demarara Estates and Wales, the services of these men will be ideal at this juncture, for GuySuCo has the best weed control practices and these men are constantly trained. Every new chemical on the market that is effective, is used or was tested by GuySuCo. Employ an agronomist that was forced into retirement by the downsizing of the sugar industry and let him calculate the amount of chemical needed for the entire cemetery. I am fully behind President Ali’s ‘One Guyana’s’ initiative, I will volunteer to help any agronomist selected to do this job. By putting an organized system in place, less money will be spent moving forward, spraying will be done periodically and systematically, resulting in full suppression of the weeds.
The individuals employed there, are simply clueless, weeding yes, that’s ok, however the method/s applied wouldn’t last a proper two weeks the most, especially with the unpredictable weather condition and an area where the water table is high and the grass can readily absorb ground water. This can be a department under the Solid Waste Director or a department in the Ministry of Local Government, where the workers are contracted, can be paid a retainer fee similar to the CDOs in the Amerindian communities and fully compensated when actual spraying or weeding is done. There is no shortage of knowledge in the agricultural sector, a plan can be derived, a proper presentation can be made, where the top-level executives of the respective ministries will be present, including Ministers Edghill, Mustapha, Dharamlall and Mayor Narine. I look forward to see the changes enacted, so that the resting place of our loved ones is accessible and at a standard that is pleasing to all.
Sincerely,
Ronald Shepherd
