The EPA is tolerating violations

Nov 21, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
I recently received correspondence from the Guyana Environmental Protection Agency threatening legal action against me in response to a letter I had earlier sent to a mailing list. In my letter, I stated that a certain individual is ‘on the money’.
Saying that someone is on the money can be interpreted in many different ways, as it could very well mean that a person is holding a high paying job, he is earning a fat salary and enjoying nice perks, and so on. I am not going to get too much into the details of the letter at this point, but threats of legal action against me would not deter me from highlighting the shortcomings of the EPA of Guyana.
In fact, it would be most welcome, and it would certainly give me an opportunity to expose the failure of the EPA in resolving issues that are environmental in nature.
Is it correct for a senior officer of the EPA to visit a facility to check on noise violation, and totally ignore the fact that the bridge that he crosses to enter that facility is one of the most serious violations to the community as a whole?
There is no bridge, the business, which is in this case is a sawmill, has dumped sand and mud into the drainage canal… filling it up so that heavy trucks could drive freely in and out of the compound.
Craters have formed on both sides of the road in the vicinity of the sawmill, and the newer one to the East of the Friendship Public Road is a serious threat to water mains and cables that are buried a mere four feet below the surface.
The other important issue that needs to be considered is that the sawmill is being operated on a parcel of land that is in dispute, and is currently engaging the attention of the Superior Court of Guyana. The parcel of land on which the sawmill is being operated has no drainage, and water, creates havoc for neighbours during the rainy season.
Why do we, the ordinary people have to point out violations when there are people at the EPA who are ‘on the money’?
Bring it on!
Regards,
Fazal Gafoor

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