St. George’s, Grenada, 19 September, 2012: The Ministry of the Environment will, on Saturday 22nd September, continue in their efforts to clear debris from the Chemin River.
Following the cleanup of the river located in the Westerhall/Calivigny area last Saturday, International Coastal Cleanup Day, participants of the clean-up effort agreed that a machine be brought in to assist in removing some of the heavy logs which proved to difficult to move with simple manpower.
Coastal cleanup will be a month long volunteer effort in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique to remove garbage from the coastal zone and near shore marine waters. This initiative is scheduled to end on October 15, 2012.
Last Saturday’s cleanup recorded the removal of several plastics, old tyres and appliances from the river.
The Staff of the Ministry of the Environment, Foreign Trade and Export Development was joined by corporate organisations, St. Georges University (SGU) students, members of the community and the police in the effort to clean the river that separates the parishes of St David and St George.
“We’ve counted hundreds of plastics as the major type of garbage in the area”, said Wayne Smart of the Education and Conservation Outreach group (ECO) of St George’s University who assisted with the data collection. He added that there could be lots more underneath the debris that is backing up the river.
Minister for the Environment Hon. Glynis Roberts, said that the Ministry’s effort was to collect some of the plastics and other garbage from the going down into the sea, though she noted that most of the blockages in the river consist of bamboo and fallen trees.
The Minister also explained that residents often have problems when there are heavy rains and the bridge in the area is blocked.
Mrs Roberts stressed the need to dispose of garbage properly and suggested that garbage be placed in a bag until it can be placed in a bin rather than throwing it away loosely.
The Environment Minister applauded the support of the corporate community and others who contributed in one way or the other in this worthwhile venture and encouraged communities to get involved in similar initiatives.
Petrol Dealer, Rubis West Indies was one of the corporate citizens that came out and contributed to the cleaning of the Chemin River for International Coastal Cleanup Day. Country Manager, Charles Archer said his company is encouraged to participate in activities like these, since it aids in protecting communities for the future. “Without a clean environment we really don’t have anything”, he said.
Another participant said, “The cleanup was enlightening, especially when you see your effort makes a difference”, referring to actually seeing the river flowing, given that it was stagnant earlier in the day when the cleanup started.
“Everyone should be encouraged to participate and assist in environmentally friendly projects”, said the participant.
This Saturday’s cleanup of the Chemin River in the Westerhall/Calivigny area begins at 7:00am.
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