Anyone traversing Mandela Avenue, Ruim-veldt in the vicinity of the DSL outlet on August 17 last would have been privy to the latest Ministry of Public Works-led cleanup campaign featuring President Irfaan Ali, which the Department of Public Information (DPI) was happy to let us know, was a country-wide affair that saw members of the Cabinet dispatched to other regions to work along with citizens. In Georgetown, President Ali was joined by Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar. They, along with others, we learnt, worked on clearing clogged drainage and even did some landscaping. The DPI also sent out a photograph which captured the President, rake in hand, aiding in the tidying up.
That picture-perfect scene was spoiled less than five kilometres away where residents in Campbellville were drowning in weeks of rubbish which had not been picked up, reportedly because the garbage truck had broken down. Of course, it is well known that the problem is much worse than a malfunctioning truck; the entire system has gone kaput. Unfortunately, that was not the only area affected, nor the only sore point. Drains clogged with mud, vegetation, and most of all garbage are the rule rather than the exception in this former garden city. Littering is an engrained, almost thoughtless action. It is not unusual to see empty single-use plastic cups and fast-food wrappers and cartons tossed out of the windows of moving vehicles willy-nilly, dropped into drains, or simply left in public places.
The Mayor and City Council (M&CC), whose responsibility is keeping the city clean, are in over their heads, to put it mildly. The members of the current M&CC, many of whom sat on more than one previous council, were well aware that they were taking on a penurious city and a hostile Central Government to boot. They might have been hoping to be able to catch a break, but that was just wishful thinking; it’s not going to happen. They are in a Titanic-like descent into the depths and the city, which will not fit on any of the flimsy lifeboats being offered by the current administration, is going down as well.
The PPP/C, whose mission is and has been, to quote Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at a pre-local government election last year June, “to take this city from APNU”, is playing the long game. This obviously did not begin with the current administration. Never having controlled Georgetown politically, in its 28-odd years in government so far (with the only break being 2015 to 2020) the PPP/C has sidelined and thwarted every attempt by other groups. This included not holding local government elections for over 21 years, withholding tax payments and blocking sources of income. Not that many of the councils could boast of being models of financial acuity and efficiency, but that’s another story.
Long time citizens of Georgetown will have no difficulty remembering the years of the city being utterly ignored by the Central Government, particularly during the Jagdeo administration. While the actions of President Ali are somewhat refreshing, they are not what is needed to make much of a difference in the long term. Nearly two years ago, in November 2022, right after a national cleanup campaign, which had also seen the President putting in physical work, he had vowed that everything necessary would be done to maintain cleanliness in the city. According to a statement from the Office of the President, Mr Ali had said: “We have given enough time, enough education programmes; enforcement is going to become a major aspect of what we are doing.” So what happened? Where are the enforcers?
Instead, we are moving full steam ahead with more ad-hoc cleanup campaigns, which are perhaps meant to give hope. Or maybe the idea is to make headway with diehard Georgetown voters. Who knows? The fact is that what is being done is akin to putting lipstick on a pig. The gloss shines, but underneath, well, nothing has changed.
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) said as much in its terse press release, despite the fact that some private businesses do not practise what that statement preached. Pointing to the public health risks presented by the ongoing illegal dumping and littering despite the cleanups, it called on local authorities to basically get their act together. Further, it “strongly” urged all Guyanese to “contribute to a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Guyana”. This is good advice that ought to be heeded. However, there are two major problems. The first is the speciousness continually exhibited by the PSC in not calling out the Central Government over its downright petty approach to city governance. The second is the utter lack of astute environmental leadership that is absolutely necessary. Perhaps the PSC might want to also admonish all businesses to heed laws on illegal dumping, littering and keeping their surroundings clean to the letter; to lead by example.
The worst of it all is that to date, neither the Central Government, nor any of the country’s municipalities appear to have a clue with regard to waste management. Right now, all of the waste from Region Four – the largest in the country – is being dumped at the Haags Bosch Landfill, which has disaster written all over it. For one thing, like all landfills it is not infinitely viable and there is no firm plan to date for a new site. For another, Haags Bosch is the repository for household, commercial, organic and nonbiodegradable waste as well as recyclable materials.
If it wasn’t so horrific and sad it would be laughable that in 2024, there is no proper waste management in Guyana. For all of the touting of protecting the environment, this country’s general approach to garbage disposal is shameful.
It follows then that the President is wrong. There has definitely not been enough education. One of the many lessons still to be learned is that the whole purpose of waste management is to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills, not overburden them. Organic waste, in particular, harbours rodents and insects that transmit diseases to humans, produces odours during decomposition and leaches into underground and surface waters. Until those in authority take a step into the current century in terms of correcting the ugly, festering sores that are our landfills, it will remain a case of the pot calling the kettle black.