President Ali participated in National Clean Up Exercise

President Irfaan Ali said that following the National Cleanup Exercise, heavy focus will be placed on enforcement to ensure that the country remains clean.

The statement was made during the National Cleanup Exercise along Vlissengen Road in the vicinity of St. Sidwell’s Primary School this morning.

The President pointed to some improvement in the state of cleanliness in the area since the last exercise, this he said is a step in the right direction. He however called for intensified efforts to curb the dumping of garbage making known that cleanliness and the upkeep of the environment is a shared responsibility.

“We have given enough time, enough education programmes; enforcement is going to become a major aspect of what we are doing,” said the president.

Guyana has no enforceable means of ensuring a clean environment. Laws are not only deficient, apparently un-enforceable and penalty an insufficient deterrent, but government has failed to invest in public waste disposal and ensure they are cleared regularly. Education on the importance of clean environment is also lacking. Government could learn from and implement global best practices in maintaining a clean environment.

The drainage and irrigation system is also poorly maintained. When streets are floods another type of garbage is being disposed of incorrectly.  The parapets, sidewalks and drains are overtaken by grass and bushes, making easier for littering.

Local Government authorities are starved of funding from Central Government to do better as solid waste management.

The president has said that following the national cleanup effort work will begin on improving the secondary drainage run-off across the country, in a phased manner.

The country-wide clean-up exercise is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Works’ National Enhancement Committee and saw the involvement of various stakeholders, including government agencies, the diplomatic corps, the private sector, NGO’s the joint services and members of civil society