“Clean and green Guyana” – City Mayor urges

– Air Pollution, World Environment Day theme

– 7 million premature deaths caused by air pollution

– PAHO/WHO and Ministry of Public Health working to reduce air pollution

by Ayana George

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, June 6, 2019

Guyana and the world observed World Environment Day under the theme, Air Pollution. This announcement was made at a Symposium exercise held at the Promenade Gardens on Wednesday.

Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine highlighted that it is necessary that every Guyanese work to sustain the environment to ensure Guyana remains a green state for the youth of tomorrow.

“More than 7 million persons die prematurely due to air pollution and we must make the efforts to reduce air pollution in Guyana. World Environment Day comes with the focus to maintain our citizens’ health and wellbeing through the ten Administrative Regions,” Mayor Narine stressed.

He further added that Guyana has come a long way, but urged citizens to practice reduce, reuse and recycling of waste.

A group of children from the Bishops’ High School keenly paying attention at the World Environment Symposium held at the Promenade Garden

Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine

Country Representative of PAHO/WHO, Dr. William Adu-Krow

A section of the gathering at the World Environment Day Symposium held at the Promenade Garden

Richard Ismael Secondary student, Roshani Razack reciting a poem at the Promenade Garden

[In the photo, from left to right] Country Representative of PAHO/WHO, Dr. William Adu-Krow, Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine and Representative from the Ministry of Public Health, Stacy Alves

Country Representative of PAHO/WHO, Dr. William Adu-Krow said the Ministry of Public Health would be working to reduce the risk of air pollution and adequately sensitise the nation on the importance of sustaining the environment which will combat climate change.

“There are many countries that are heavily polluted with high mortality rate. Guyana has not reached that level, but it is important that everyone work to keep their environs in a pristine state,” Dr. Adu-Krow mentioned.

Several students from schools within Georgetown attended the symposium with vibrant cultural presentations, depicting the importance of climate change and its effects, and a clean environment.

A few students from the Bishops’ High School raised their voices, pledging to spread the word on protecting the environment, among their peers.

“Putting vagrants in a shelter and keeping frequent environmental exercise will save our environment,” the students expressed.

The first World Environment Day was observed in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.

Images: Keno George