Dear Editor,
Many times weekly, any remaining serenity of Kitty is permeated by the prolonged call of “refill your water bottles with Pure Drops water now.” It is obviously a recording and is played way above the permitted decibel level, as it is heard streets away. Hence, by the time it arrives by my home with an increased crescendo and leaves, it takes over thirty minutes before it begins to dissipate. It is slightly more tolerable than other vendors of water driving through the streets who have employees who would shout loudly, advertising their water. Even that could be jarring.
Water is a vital commodity and I am very happy to know that people are being employed to sell water or conducting any other employment. However, I would suggest that these water vendors create a computerized system whereby the public could be informed of the days and times they would be selling water and within named locations. In lieu of that, they can operate a delivery system to individuals but that might not be feasible. Anyway, there are alternatives to the present primitive system.
Kitty encompasses maybe one of the largest residential/commercial districts in George-town. President Ali embarked on a walkabout through some streets of the district many months ago and many roads were subsequently improved. However, the community faces many challenges. Among these are a high number of vagrants, especially near the Kitty market and the clusters of nightclubs which blare music each night and into the wee hours of the mornings. One can imagine the discomfort of residents within earshot of such lawlessness. It is disconcerting that these situations are only rectified after people spend time and money to seek legal action when commercial activity enters their residential area.
First of all, it would be interesting to know the areas in Georgetown that have been identified as residential. Kitty obviously would not fall into that category but even such areas should have parts designed for residential use only and other parts for commercial activity only. To digress a bit, our town planning is skewed, as is evidenced by the drains and canals designed to drain water from our cities’ streets, being covered to build roads. There are no restrictions on citizens concreting their yards, which contributes to the flooding of the city. If it was grass and soil the water would be absorbed.
The entitlement to peace and quiet are enshrined in our laws. Hopefully, we can see changes to the disregard for these laws, not just in Kitty but in all districts. The vending I have outlined does not occur in certain areas like Bel Air Park and Bel Air Gardens. There are obvious reasons for this.
Sincerely,
Conrad Barrow
