Some suggestions on keeping Le Repentir Cemetery clean

Dear Editor,
Permit me a space in your newspaper to air an opinion that I believe is vital and can be implemented by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), and by extension the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, for the upkeep of the Le Repentir Cemetery.
Construction work has begun on the new four-lane road from Princes St to Mandela Avenue. As such, traffic slows down actually to a halt sometimes. It is great for the development of Guyana that more inter-connecting roads are widened, constructed, and enhanced wherever possible. Having said that, as the traffic slows down, one gets a first-hand look at the ongoing cleaning exercise in the cemetery.
As a trained Agriculturalist, I think the method/s applied by the contractor wouldn’t yield the desired results in regard to weed control. The burial ground spans acres of land that are literally blanket-covered like an abandoned cane field that is in the process of being fallowed. The noxious weeds, like ‘ANTIDESMA’, CONGO PUMP etc, to name a few, together with the antelope grass, cannot be suppressed by a few 20 oz bottles of weedicide. It’s impossible, and is clearly an exercise in futility.
This project needs a trained agronomist to assess the conditions on the ground and recommend the applicable weedicide for the respective weeds in the burial ground.
Weedicides are of two types: PRE-EMERGENT – to be sprayed before the weeds emerge, and POST–EMERGENT – to be sprayed after the weeds have emerged. Hard chemicals like 24D, Merlin, Diuron (KARMEX), Glyphosan, or any chemical with Glyphosate as the active ingredient, would yield the requisite result.
The exercise would need drums of chemicals for such a large acreage.
Now, there are several spray hands that were laid off from the East Demerara Estates and Wales. The services of those persons would be ideal at this juncture, for GuySuCo has the best weed control practices, and these persons are constantly trained. Every new chemical on the market that is effective is used or tested by GuySuCo.
Employ an Agronomist who was forced into retirement by the downsizing of the sugar industry, and let that person calculate the amount of chemicals needed for the entire cemetery. I am fully behind President Ali’s ‘ONE GUYANA’ initiative, I would volunteer to help any Agronomist selected to do this job.
By putting an organised system in place, less money would be spent moving forward. Spraying would be done periodically and systematically, resulting in full suppression of the weeds.
The individuals currently employed in this weed-eradication exercise in the Le Repentir Cemetery are simply clueless. Weeding yes, that’s okay; however, the method/s applied wouldn’t last a proper two weeks at the most, especially with the unpredictable weather condition and an area where the water table is high and the grass can readily absorb ground water.
This can be a department under the Solid Waste Director, or a department in the Ministry of Local Government, wherein the workers are contracted, can be paid a retainer fee like obtains with the CDOs in the Amerindian communities, and be fully compensated when actual spraying or weeding is done.
There is no shortage of knowledge in the agriculture sector, a plan can be derived and a proper presentation can be made in which top-level executives of the respective ministries would be present, including Ministers Edghill, Mustapha and Dharamlall, and Mayor Narine.
I look forward to seeing the changes enacted, so that the final resting place of our loved ones is accessible and kept at a standard that is pleasing to all.

Sincerely yours,
Ronald Shepherd