Government told to keep lots clean

ENVIRONMENT Minister Dr. Denis Lowe believes that just as landowners are being urged to keep their lots clean, so too should Government as it relates to lands owned by the Crown.

He was speaking in the Lower Chamber on Tuesday on a supplementary for $4.6 million to meet the cost of government’s debushing programme. Dr. Lowe agreed that the penalties should be stringent enough to cause discomfort to those delinquent landowners

“I am calling on the relevant ministries to go and clear the lots. Because you can’t have one rule for the Medes and one for the Persians. And if poor people are being asked to clear their lots, I believe the government should be asked to clear theirs too and perhaps the debushing programme will assist in that regard,” he said.

Minister Lowe conceded that the Drainage Division is need of more manpower, but does not subscribe to the view that Barbados is a flood prone country because of poor sanitation.

“That is not really the case. Barbados is a low-lying State. It is part of the small island developing states that is plagued by low-lying conditions, that when you have an appreciable amount of rain you can expect some level of water settlement.”

He said there is a big difference between water settling in areas and flooding. “It is not accurate to say that Barbados has become a flood state because of poor sanitation and the lack of clearing drains. That is not a reflection of reality. Because we had about 60-plus cases of water settlement in Barbados in the last rainfall as a result of Harvey... and in some cases before the Drainage Division could get to the complaint the water dissipates. Obviously the drainage systems that Barbados has are systems from the 60s and 70s and were not designed to accommodate the kind of pressures that they feel now,” he said.

Minister Lowe noted that a study was laid in parliament and identifies the realities about the volume of waste in the country, which is linked to consumption patterns and associated packaging.

“Yes it is true to say that many residents are not careful enough to make sure that they appropriately discard their waste, but a lot of the things that affect communities in terms of illegal dumping are not happening by the communities themselves. It is happening by individuals who are coming through and pelting off stuff and there is dumping up the elevations and that dumping comes down the draining system... to create problems for communities.

“So let’s not blame the SSA – the SSA is doing an exceptional job in keeping this country clean in spite of the pressures it has gone through,” he said.

He also added that commercial entities are currently getting free garbage collection which may soon become a thing of the past. (JH)