Daley demands McKenzie and NSWMA cut out the garbage and get their act together
/ Our Today
administrator
The People’s National Party (PNP) has called for Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie to urgently address what it labelled the negligence of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and “protect the health and safety of our citizens”.
In a statement yesterday, the PNP accused the NSWMA, which falls under the governance of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, of failing to maintain a sanitary environment across the island and showing no indication there would be any improvements in the near future.
Denise Daley, opposition spokesperson on local government and community development and member of parliament for St Catherine Eastern, said the overflowing of garbage and waste left uncollected in communities across the island, is damaging to the health and safety of all Jamaican citizens.
“We will not sit and allow the mismanagement to continue. I appeal to the minister and the management of the NSWMA to get their act together,”said Daley.
“Work needs to be carried out on drainage systems nationally, especially in areas prone to flooding. We must design contingency plans to mitigate against disasters such as these.”
Denise Daley, opposition spokesperson on local government and community development
The opposition spokesperson said that, despite appeals to McKenzie in Parliament, she has only received promises but no action to date.
She said flooding that occurred in several parishes across the Eastern belt of the island highlighted the gross mismanagement of the country’s garbage disposal and drain cleaning programme.
“Work needs to be carried out on drainage systems nationally, especially in areas prone to flooding. We must design contingency plans to mitigate against disasters such as these,” said Daley.
She continued: “We are all aware that the NSWMA needs additional service units to manage the magnitude of work it has to do, but why is this matter being treated with scant regard? How long did it take the organisation to realise that units were needed? How long did it take for the approval to be granted for the procurement of these units? Why is the Government continuing to put the health and safety of Jamaican citizens at risk?”
She said the Opposition was demanding that the Government “approaches this matter with alacrity and clean up the country once and for all”.
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