While several Barbadians capitalised on the Green Nation’s clean-up exercise yesterday, the public is being reminded of the dangers of dumping illegally.
Green Nation’s Project Manager Adrian Bowen and technical advisor with the Barbados Water Authority Dr John Mwansa, gave that reminder yesterday as they participated in the activity, an initiative of The Nation Publishing Co Limited, which was executed at various areas such as Foster Lodge and Airy Hill, both in St George.
Mwansa was speaking at Airy Hill as he assisted in the clearing of a clogged drain which he said led to flooding recently.
“The entrance to the well was choked with debris which contributed to the flooding, so we decided to deal with it.”
He warned that dumping had serious implications on water quality and cost.
“As this is a drainage well, when that water goes into the drainage, it is going to go into
the groundwater, so any time you have garbage in the drain, there is a very good chance that it will end up in our groundwater. If our groundwater is contaminated, you have to treat it and if we have to treat it, the price of the water will go up and we will be the people paying,” Mwansa said.
Over at Foster Lodge, Bowen pointed out the discarded appliances, bathroom fittings, galvanised sheets, a mattress, a baby stroller and other debris that were discarded in the gully in that area. The gully stretches to Airy Hill.
He echoed Mwansa’s comments stating, “We have to talk about this from a health perspective. While the garbage can harbour things like rodents and rats, the contamination of our water is also a big issue. If you go into some of these gullies and see the stuff being siphoned through our watercourse, it’s an issue,” Bowen added.
The clean-up yesterday was held in recognition of World Clean Up Day and scores of volunteers from groups such as The Nation Publishing Co Limited, Barbados Roaring Virtual Lions Club, Barbados Sea Cadets, Queen’s College, Chevy 4×4 Bim, and Pile Bay fishing community participated.
In addition to the St George communities, the volunteers also cleaned Independence Square, Pebbles Beach and Brandons Beach, in St Michael.
Trucks from the Ministry of Transport and Works were also utilised to deliver the waste to the Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre Inc.
Bowen said several residents were also offered the opportunity to discard bulk waste.
“The whole object today is to engage the residents and mobilise persons to do more. We also have some other groups who are working. The idea this morning was also to engage the public and engage the residents and we did have some residents who came out and they brought some stuff.
“It’s better to get rid of your big items in the right way as opposed to using the other method of throwing it into the gully,” Bowen added.
Some of the Airy Hill residents such as “Kathy Kool” and Ryan Wickham were grateful for the opportunity to discard their old appliances and furniture.
They also spoke out against illegal dumping.
“The gully was used as a dumping ground for quite a bit because people find different lengths to dispose of their garbage instead of doing it the right way. It’s good that others are using their initiative and manpower to clean up,” “Kathy Kool” said.
Wickham added: “I am not an advocate for illegal dumping at all and if you are not sure you should find out who you can contact to get the items cleared the right way.” (TG)
