Ministry Of Communities, Georgetown-November 11, 2016:

Just six month after receiving township status, Bartica has set its sights on realising another goal- that of being the cleanest ward in the country.

This is according to the Mayor, Gifford Marshall who promised that the council is partnering with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the town is highly regarded not only for being picturesque but also for its attention to environment.

In keeping with its objectives, the town council will on November 28 launched an Integrated Solid Waste Management Program as part of a massive sensitisation campaign.

The Ministry of Communities will lend support to the initiative and the council is also anticipating much stakeholder involvement as a collective commitment to sound solid waste management practices.

Town Clerk, Pheobe Wallerson revealed that this will be immediately followed by the training of a group of youth who are already very willing and quite excited to be a part of the process.

“We will equip them with relevant identification badges, clothes and more importantly the skills to deliver an impacting, interactive, learning session with households,” the Town Clerk said.

The sanitation program is timely since residents are high in praise for the work done to upgrade the landfill site.

“We want to capitalise on the heightened awareness we are receiving to peddle the need for residents to take ownership and responsibility for their environment and to add to our efforts.

Marshall disclosed that $15 million was spent to rehabilitate the sire and an additional $5M will be spent on covering the site with clay.

So, we have the renovated site which was funded by the Government of Guyana. In the last phase of the project, government through the Town Council will cover the garbage with clay,” the Mayor explained.

He noted too that works are in train to rehabilitate the Byderabo back road that leads to the landfill.

The council is already rallying support from residents and the corporate community as well.

Proprietor of Shell Service Station on Camp and New Market Street, Patricia Callender have since pledged 45 gallons of diesel monthly from its Sol Bartica Depot as assistance to aid the council in its sanitation efforts.

The proprietors are residents of Bartica and owners of real estate along the Essequibo River in the vicinity of the town.

They spend most of their weekends in that part of Guyana and have expressed plans to retire there sometime in the near future.

In a letter to the town council, the company stated that they have always been very concerned about the garbage situation in Bartica and had completed the installation of Rubbermaid bins along First Avenue.

“We had meant this to be a start of an effort to eventually install bins in most of the avenues…It is our hope that Bartica will become clean and green and we would like to partner with you in this mission,” the company stated.

expressed confidence that the contribution would be the first step in realising the goal of making Bartica ‘Clean and Green’ and a community that everyone can be proud of.

The Mayor during brief comments said that the timely arrangement will aid the council in its effort to make Bartica the cleanest town in the country.