These roadside oil spills are environmental hazards

Jul 20, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
If any citizen of Georgetown was under any delusion that the mouthing by the ‘Big Wigs’ at City Hall about ‘greening’ our city was anything more than just them being full of hot air, then all they have to do is take a walk along High Street in the vicinity of Leopold Street.
There they will see from Sunday to Sunday a string of roadside mechanical workshops illegally operating in this location that specialize in oil changes, fixing of brakes, air conditioning repairs etc. Waste Crankcase Oil (WCO), the oil that they remove from motor engines right there on the street during an oil change, is almost always discarded right there into the gutters resulting in pollution of both our aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The roads are blackened, the drains are filled with thick sludge and the pavements are slippery due to the oil deposits. Oil spilling onto the road makes for hazardous driving and walking conditions.
The irony is that these roadside workshops are a mere stone throw from the City Hall and City Constables who are well known to harass vendors and business persons for the smallest of transgressions, and sometimes for no good reason, pass along each day in the execution of their duties, but never stop to reprimand these rogue mechanics.
Worse the Mayor, Town Clerk, City Engineer, Chief Constable etc all motor along this roadway frequently but could be least bothered by the harmful actions of these mechanics. This road like all others in Georgetown was built with our money, the tax payers’ money. By allowing auto repair works to be carried out continually on them, the Council is depriving taxpayers the right to enjoy what they have paid for. Come on Pat and Roy, stop just talking the talk, it is time to walk the walk and let Georgetown play its part in saving the planet.
Anu Bihari

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