Mission tidy . . . national clean-up ahead of we gatherin’ 2020

Government will be undertaking a “massive” $2 million national clean-up campaign over the next two months to coincide with the start of the year-long We Gatherin 2020 celebration. And Prime Minister Mia Mottley is pleading with Barbadians to do what they can to ensure a clean Christmas and 2020.

“I am appealing from the bottom of my heart to every Barbadian to get on board for a clean Barbados. . . Where is the pride that belongs to pride and industry?” said Mottley.

Speaking with members of the media in Pot House, St John on Monday afternoon where she travelled for a firsthand look at deteriorated road conditions there, Mottley gave the residents the assurance that the access in that community would be restored soon.

According to the Prime Minister some 350 people will be hired to carry out the clean-up campaign by January 31.

“It will cost us $2 million between now and the end of the financial year, at the end of March. We will contract roughly 350 people between now and the end of January to do a massive clean-up. So once the clean-up is finished at the end of January, we will then reduce those numbers by half or a third to maintain on an ongoing basis throughout,” said Mottley.

“We have already contracted 65 persons whose sole responsibility is to keep the major highways clean and they started work two weeks ago,” she said.

Mottley said Government would also “have to find some additional money” to pay street sweepers.

“The other thing that will be done as a part of the package is to be able to get some additional street sweepers . . . we have to have this kind of all-embracing approach so that this kind of visit we have here in Pot House doesn’t become a norm for the country,” she said.

Insisting that “this is not the Barbados that we know”, Mottley expressed disappointment that residents were not keeping their surroundings clean, pointing out that their dumping was creating a haven for rodents, mosquitos and health challenges.

“I need Bajans to help us have a clean Christmas, a clean 2020 and a clean Barbados, period,” said Mottley.

As it relates to badly eroded roads in Pot House, Mottley said the existing drain would be cleaned and culverts would be put in place, while the entire roadway would be redesigned.

Remedial work will begin in a matter of days and the entire project should last three months.

Officials were unable to say how much the Pot House road repairs would cost, but Mottley indicated that it would be funded through the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) road rehabilitation funding.

Residents complained that the road in Pot House had been in a terrible state for many years, but was made even worse due to heavy rains, blocked drains and recent pipe laying carried out by the Jada group.

“We are at the point of frustration. We are fed up now. We cannot commute this road as we would like,” said one resident.

Mottley said: What we have become accustomed to in the last decade cannot be the standard to which we will now accept or reduce ourselves. As a result the Government will play its part, but each person in the country must play theirs too,” she insisted.

The Minister of Finance also hinted that in the next budget, the Ministry of Transport and Works may get more than the $10 million it received last year, to carry out its work.

“We are doing the audits. We have some savings that are going to come from the Inter-American Development Bank programme this year and we are reallocating those funds to the CAF programme, which is what will allow us to do this road and it will allow us to start Highway One and Highway Seven trenching,” she said, adding that those highways had water mains that were over 100-years-old that would need to be changed.

Engineer with Stantec Robert Bynoe, apologized to residents on behalf of the Barbados Water Authority and the Jada Group, saying he was aware the pipe laying project had resulted in some inconvenience.

“The permanent reinstatement is due to be installed during the coming week or two and then it will resolve this [erosion] issue. I want to apologize on behalf of the various parties for any inconveniences suffered by the residents… We are sorry,” he said.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb