Crack down on littering
Teachers, guidance counsellors, and police personnel console grieving students at Jamaica College on Thursday. They were mourning the murder of 14-year-old Nicholas Francis in a bus robbery.
status may be assessed in the first instance.
Hand him over before he gets rid of himself. No. I take that back. He hasn’t the courage to remove himself from the face of the Earth as insane as he is!
My profound sympathy to young Francis’ family.
ERICA BROWN MARRIOTT THE EDITOR, Sir: LACK OF civic pride is, regrettably, very rampant in our society. Most Jamaicans will tell you that they are very proud of their nationality. Indeed, this is seen when we have athletic or other social and cultural activities. It is not, however, demonstrated in the day-to-day behaviour of a large segment of society. I refer specifically to the absolute disregard for the anti-litter law.
Take, for example, what is currently happening along the Palisadoes strip. The Government developed the area and provided a beautiful section area for jogging and walking, as well as benches for persons to just sit and enjoy the beauty of the environment. On any evening or early morning, if you pass by, you will see vehicles parked and people exercising or just sitting and relaxing.
Regrettably, this area is being turned into a garbage dump by individuals who discard leftover food, plastic boxes, bottles, household items, fishing gear, and a myriad other types of refuse in plain view.
Additionally, it would seem that there are persons who dump large quantities of garbage in the sea itself, as is evidenced by the garbage that is seen floating daily, and some of which clings to the rocks and other infrastructure put in place to prevent the flooding of the roadway. These items are not biodegradable, so I shudder to think of how this is impacting marine life.
WE MUST END THIS
I am appealing to the authorities to stem this illegal activity, which is threatening the beauty of the entrance, to air passengers, to our beautiful island. While the behaviour of the culprits cannot be excused, the authorities themselves have to share the blame as they should have anticipated that some type of garbage-disposal facility would be required in the area.
Additionally, the infrastructure is beginning to fall apart as some of the tiles along the walkway have been dislodged and others are missing. If something is not done pretty soon, the considerable investment that has been made will be literally washed down the drain or, in this case, into the sea.
I am appealing to the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation and/or the National Solid Waste Management Authority, or whichever agency is responsible for the maintenance of this area, to arrest this situation urgently.
For there to be any meaningful development of our country, the Government must have ongoing initiatives to develop social awareness and ensure that when we put infrastructure in place, there are plans for regular maintenance. KAREN GOULBOURNE kgoulbourne@yahoo.com