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Swine rearing affects Soesdyke community- Residents
– EPA, NDC, Local Government Ministry not enforcing regulations, guidelines
Despite several warning notices from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
One of the many pig stys in Soesdyke
Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and even the Ministry of Local Government, pig farmers within Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, have not paid heed to any of these agencies, according to the residents of the community.
Amongst the things highlighted were the odors emanating from swine rearing which was not authorized within the zone and area; cases of students of Soesdyke Primary School being nauseous; churches within the area not being able to carry on proper services because of the odor, and the health risk posed by pig rearing within a residential community.
Residents within the community also noted that the rains added with the stench from the pig rearing facility has become overbearing.
Initially a group of concerned residents approached the EPA, the NDC and the Local Government Ministry seeking redress. However, although promises were made nothing was done.
Even after visits to various swine rearing locations by EPA officials, the situation remained the same.
Residents are asking the authorities to relocate the swine rearing activities to a spot where permission is given to access land approved for such ventures, since its illogical to have swine rearing affect a large percentage of a community for the personal benefit of a few.
“The stench of gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and methane remains despite cleaning by swine farmers. There is also a risk of leptospirosis, malaria and gastroenteritis,” another resident explained.
It was collectively agreed that there is now a substantial amount of hard evidence that larger herd size is linked to higher levels of many diseases in pigs, including some that can cause illnesses in people.
According to the EPA, when rearing swine whether on a small or large scale, requires much consideration, since the environmental impact can be far reaching.
Air pollution, water contamination, soil degradation as well as human health effects, are all reasons why there is need to plan and execute this process carefully. “Location is very important to swine rearing. Swine rearing should be done no more than 164 feet or 50 metres downwind from residences and water catchments, ideally agricultural lands are strongly recommended.
“In addition, smell travels and we all know pigs have an obnoxious odor.”
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