Prison service blocks Lusignan landfill site entrance – NDC Chairman
…calls for central Govt intervention
Scores of residents who utilise a landfill site, situated at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD), are now pleading with the authorities to intervene and reverse a decision made by the Guyana Prison Services to block the main entrance into the dumpsite, preventing residents from properly discarding their waste materials.
Garbage being dumped near a main drainage canal
The road blockage, which has been in effect for almost a week, has not only grown to be an issue for residents in the area but also officials attached to a number of Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) who regularly utilise the site.
Speaking to this publication, Chairman of the Mon Repos/La Reconnaissance Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Ayube Mohammed explained that the only reason given by the prison services for the road closure is to prevent the destruction of the roadway by vehicles which traverse the area. But according to Mohammed, in order to transport materials to be disposed of, vehicles have to use that road.
“Since last Monday, this is one week now that the prison authority closed off the dumpsite saying that the road is being messed up when the vehicles come out from the dumpsite…the prison, as well as all other agencies, utilise this dumpsite, all the NDCs from Haslington to Plaisance utilise that dumpsite, and they have to utilise this road.”
In expressing his disappointment, the Chairman questioned the steps residents should now take with regards to disposing of their garbage, even though numerous complaints have been lodged and empty promises to intervene followed.
“This is the only road other than a mud road that is used by the Chinese that goes into the dumpsite. Now if the NDCs can’t dump at the dumpsite because the prison don’t want the road to be messed up, I don’t know what’s going to happen on the East Coast, and to date nothing has been done….I’ve made contact with the RDC, I’ve made contact with the Ministry of Communities and those in charge of the Waste Management Unit and they’re all promising to that they will look into this matter and nothing has been done so far,” Mohammed stated.
However, despite efforts to reverse this action, some residents are resorting to their last choice which is to create illegal dumpsites and dispose of waste items while others are constantly calling the NDCs with queries as to how their garbage will be discarded.
