Le Repentir Cemetery clean-up begins 

Cleaning, weeding, and maintenance works have commenced at the Le Repentir Cemetery, Georgetown, as the Government moves to introduce a burial ground policy aimed at establishing minimum standards for cemeteries across Guyana.
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand said the proposed policy would address maintenance, accessibility and facilities at burial grounds, including washrooms, pathways to graves and proper spacing between tombs.

Manickchand said conditions at Le Repentir Cemetery vary, with some sections overgrown with vegetation while others allow people to access graves and visit the tombs of loved ones.
“The cemetery looks very bushy, like a jungle on one side, and on the other side it looked like an actual cemetery where people can get access to their tomb and visit loved ones,” she said.
The Minister acknowledged the emotional significance of burial grounds, noting that people visit them either to bury loved ones or to pay their respects to those who have died.
“Any burial ground is a hard place to be. It’s either you’re bringing someone you love to bury, or you are going to visit someone you loved. I myself have lost people very close to me, my parents,” Manickchand said.
She added that dealing with the loss of loved ones remained difficult for her.
“This is a very painful thing to always reminisce on and think about. And I don’t think I’ve even processed that properly,” she said.
Manickchand explained that provisions governing burial grounds already exist under the Public Health Act, and the proposed policy would seek to ensure that the relevant requirements are followed.
“There are actually laws under the Public Health Act about what should happen at burial grounds. And we’re going to have some minimum standards,” she said.
Among the areas to be addressed are the provision of hedges, including floral or green hedges, washroom facilities, access to tombs and graves, and adequate space for visitors to place items at gravesides.
The policy is also intended to ensure that burial grounds maintain an appropriate environment for people visiting deceased relatives and friends.
Manickchand noted that roadworks had already been undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works, but vegetation can quickly overgrow areas that have been cleared, making continued maintenance necessary.
“This is work that was done by the Ministry of Public Works already. So, you’re standing on a road, but very quickly this grows up,” she said.
She said attention would also be given to ensuring compliance with existing requirements, including the prescribed distance between tombs, while identifying unused spaces that could be made available for future burials.
The Minister pointed to work at a burial ground in the border region, where clearing and maintenance had transformed an overgrown area into a space where people could visit graves more easily.
She said similar efforts would be necessary at burial grounds where available spaces need to be opened up for use.
The proposed policy is expected to provide a framework for improving the maintenance and accessibility of cemeteries while ensuring that existing public health requirements are observed.