Taskforce Commission’s “Restore Guyana” project moving apace

Aug 05, 2016 News

– Upgraded airstrips, Solid Waste sites identified for several regions
The National Taskforce Commission held a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to enlighten the media and the public about the work it has done so far. From all indications it appears as though

Garbage dumped atop a ravine at Khan’s Hill, Mabaruma.

the Commission is making headway in achieving its mandate.
In the Ministry’s boardroom, Chairman of the Taskforce, Major General Retired Joe Singh highlighted several updates on successes and challenges during the Commission’s one year lifetime.
Singh reported that the CJIA runway expansion is moving along according to plan. He said that the project will undergo close monitoring so as to ensure the country gets value for money, since he noted that it is absorbing significant expenditure.
He said that the Mabaruma Airstrip is currently going through an upgrade, particularly to the terminal. Additionally, the Surama Airstrip in North Rupununi is being upgraded. He said that the strip will be extended to 4000 feet. In addition to the extension, the laterite surface of the strip has been stabilized, since a new type of fluid is being used to bind the material. The work on the airstrip was done by JR Construction, who is currently working on the Fairview Airstrip in Iwokrama.
The Task Force is mandated to provide oversight services to specific government agencies in five areas, particularly National Drainage, Solid Waste Management, Traffic Management, Sustainable, physical structure renewal countrywide and welfare management of homeless, addicted and mentally challenged.
In the area of Solid Waste Management, Singh reported that the Ministry of Communities has identified several sites to be used as official dumpsites. For Region 10, an area at Kara Kara has been identified. He said that there is currently a bid being advertised for the construction of an access road to the site.
Further, in Region Nine, the site intended to be used as the community’s dumpsite will be in Bon Success, north of Lethem. Region Eight’s site will be in the White Hole/Red Hole area which is east of Mahdia. According to Singh, the site has already been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Region Six’s site will be made at Bellevue, West Bank Berbice. A new site will be identified for Region One since, according to Singh, the current site at Khan’s Hill, Mabaruma, is not suitable. It is located atop a ravine, and nearby is a tributary into which the waste can eventually pollute. Singh said that if the residents don’t curb their behaviour they will be “shooting themselves in the feet” because pushing the refuse over the hill will contaminate the same water that they use.
He said that the unauthorised dumping of garbage should be of concern to residents, especially when done near waterways and culverts which eventually get blocked up.

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