National Clean up Exercise moves to ‘B’ Field Sophia
In keeping with government’s efforts to mobilise local leadership and enhance communities across Guyana, the nationwide clean up exercise continued in Section ‘B’ Sophia on Sunday morning.
Volunteers from the community turned out as early as 6:00 am to clear trenches, pick up garbage, and remove unsightly vegetation along the roadways.
Residents who participated in the exercise lauded the initiative but expressed their desire to see more residents involved in the community’s upkeep.
“I actually feel good that the government did this initiative to get the members of the community to clean up. I’m a bit disappointed that most of the members did not come out. If we had all come out, it would have been easier and faster. However, I do appreciate the ones that came out to help clean the community,” Tricia Cox, a resident, expressed.
Another resident, Sidney Nelson, said he hoped that there would be greater collaboration among community members to maintain the cleanliness of the community.
“I think the clean up is a great initiative… The government has agreed to provide the resources so we can clean up, and as you can see, persons are coming out…. It is something that needs to be ongoing. In just one exercise you’re not going to get the full benefit out of the exercise, but as you continue to engage the community like this, I think we’re going to have great success at the end of a period of time,” he said.
Other residents shared similar sentiments, urging persons to curb the bad habits of littering and improper garbage disposal , and provided recommendations for community leaders, including the provision of skip bins and regular clean up exercises at the local level.
Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, said that the exercise does not only serve as a beautification project by the government, but also stresses to residents the importance of keeping their community, the city, and the country as a whole, clean.
“It is important for us as a society. It’s about our image, what we project to the outer world, and therefore we have to be responsible enough to be able to understand that we keep our environments clean, we don’t dump in front of our yards, we don’t dump on the road corners, because it would affect us.
“It would affect our children, our grandchildren and everything else. So, I would like the people of Sophia, like I would like every other Guyanese across the country, to be very conscious of the need for them to stop littering,” the minister stated.
He urged persons to change their mindsets and learn to respect their environment, as failure to do so would result in a future that is far from favourable.
Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond; Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill; Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar; Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues; Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud; Minister within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Anand Persaud and personnel from the various ministries assisted in the clean up as well.
The National Clean up Exercise is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Works’ National Enhancement Committee. It has seen the involvement of a number of ministers of government, and the President, across a number of regions.