People on the East Bank, West Bank and some parts of Georgetown have been complaining about smoke. Curious about the cause, there were questions for the Environmental Protection Agency. We are however accustomed to silence from some agencies that are supposed to advocate for the protection and wellbeing of the people.
A few days ago, it was reported on journalist Gordon Moseley’s Facebook page that vegetation was being burned at the back of Providence and Perseverance. Footage and photos from one John Duncan revealed the magnitude of these brush fires. The Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority put out a notice warning contractors and private developers to desist from setting fires. The upsurge in brush fires were noted and those guilty of setting fires to clear land were warned that they would face penalties if they do not desist.
It was also reported this week that residents of Santa Aratak were being evacuated by the Guyana Fire Service because of wildfires. We the people seem to be grappling with hellish conditions across the country.
We would like to think and perhaps comfort ourselves that these are not signs that the Earth is nearing its end. The excesses of humans some of which results in the abuse of the Earth have certainly resulted in suffering. Some believe that a day of annihilation is certain. I imagine that the religious who speak about the end of the world are taking steps to make sure that their souls are right according to their doctrines. Nevertheless, with barrels of oil being produced every day and with the great plans for our country, one would imagine that most are not thinking that an end is near. The imagined Dubai-like state is expected to rise out of the ashes of what we are currently experiencing.
Still, it is concerning that in Guyana, we so thoughtlessly cause discomfort to others. We would imagine that those responsible for the fires at Providence and Perseverance did not think about how their actions would affect thousands of people and if they did, they perhaps do not care. This is a country where the collective is often not thought of. Small circles look after their interests; money and power blind those who have access to it and some think only they deserve to live. However, if a significant number of Guyanese are harmed, permanently injured and their lives spans are shortened because of the actions of others, who will inherit this land?
Smoke inhalation can worsen lung conditions and other health issues. People can suffer from shortness of breath, vomiting, fainting, coughing, wheezing, chest pain and carbon monoxide poisoning just to name a few.
Wildfires, brush fires, house fires, the heat from sun; deliberate, unplanned, and unpredictable, the Guyanese people are trapped in the heat of this land. One must wonder if supernatural forces are a part of our conflagrations. In this drought, our comfort is disturbed and without air conditioning or fans in some places, it is almost intolerable.
In this time, those lost in house fires also, send an echo of mourning across the land. There was a fire at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara on March 22nd where a former headmaster of the Bladen Hall Multilateral School, Moses Elias, 84, perished. It was reported that his death was allegedly by suicide. This according to the police report. Officers were said to be in control of the fire on the bottom flat. However, Mr. Elias was said to be seen heading upstairs with a bottle assumed to contain gasoline, set a mattress on fire, and shouted “Life too hard” as he screamed and burned to death. Like horror movies life often plays out in Guyana.
If we are to take this report as an accurate account of what occurred, it again highlights how many Guyanese are not coping well. The mental health of many is affected. If even the elderly cannot find peace in their old age, what have the young and middle-aged to look forward to? Many elderly people struggle with loneliness; I imagine that the cost of living and other hardships are also having effects on them. It is unfortunate that a man such as Mr. Elias could have allegedly resorted to such drastic measures to end his life because of ‘life being too hard’.
One would imagine that in this time when the Guyanese people are not only under pressure because of issues like the cost of living but the heat from the sun and fires, that one thing we could be certain of, would be uninterrupted electricity supply. People who are affected by the smoke should be able to close their doors and windows and feel cool and safe in their homes. All Guyanese grappling with the heat should feel cool and safe in their homes. Air conditioning is becoming a necessity.
It is not enough that people of Guyana are dealing with the smoke from brush fires, wildfires and buildings being burnt. It is not enough that the heat from the sun continues to humble us. We are still supposed to be in a time of great progress even though there may be environmental risks and we might be at risk of becoming a minority in our country or being annexed by a neighbouring country. Nevertheless, we are no longer in the 1980s when I was born. As a child I remember dark nights and quiet days because of long blackouts. We are more than two decades since the 1990s when flambeaus, candles or battery lamps lit homes on blackout nights. The 2000s came and the issue remained but there was a period between 2015 and 2020 when there were hardly any blackouts. Within that time months would pass without blackouts. On those unfortunate times when a blackout did occur, it would not be for long. So, what has happened at the Guyana Power and Light that people are now experiencing daily blackouts for hours at a time?
In a time, when we speak so proudly of being a fastest growing economy, these are not issues we should be dealing with. The Guyanese people are constantly being treated like our lives and comfort do not matter and that living here is meant to be intolerable. Can we not conclude that the management of GPL is incompetent? What worked before when there were hardly any blackouts that is not working now? There are reports about generators being purchased and some not working. We would imagine that we continue progress by building on that which previously worked but it seems like we always regress. The egos of men, nepotism and other forms of corruption continue to suffocate the Guyanese people.
It is unacceptable what we the people are experiencing these daily blackouts. We are frustrated. It affects productivity. People’s household appliances are being damaged. We have had enough of the scheduled and unplanned blackouts, and apologies from GPL.
With the fires, heat, and daily blackouts, we seem stuck in a hopeless cycle of never getting it right. We are constantly living with stress, worry and fear. Perhaps this is our hell on Earth.
