Letter of the Day | Mandeville buried under garbage and sewage
Published:Friday | June 24, 2022 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Mandeville is no longer the squeaky-clean town it once appeared to be, and the mere thought that it might never be restored is quite disconcerting. The sight of cardboard boxes and other waste piling up in some parts of the town is revolting.
Some of the places in the town have become a sanctuary for rats that are nearly as large as cats. Rats are filthy critters that spread the disease, leptospirosis. Should this infestation become an irreversible problem, a threat to human life, we will undoubtedly have a much greater problem. This excessively troubling issue has caused me to repeatedly ask the questions, ‘Have we devolved into a society that is unconcerned with hygiene or health? Has our civic pride dissipated without a trace?’
The pungent stench of the sewage is all too common and needs to be remedied. This is not an issue that can wait, because it is considered a health hazard. New enterprises have taken over Mandeville and as a result, the infrastructure is under colossal strain. Hence, appropriate infrastructure maintenance is critical and needs to take immediate effect.
It is highly possible that the garbage pile-up is a contributing factor to the flooding we often experience in the town, even after the least bit of rain. I can recall on one occasion when Ward Avenue was flooded to the point where it became a lake in which a mad man frolicked, much to the amusement of onlookers. There have been other occasions where flooding in this and other areas has recurred. Consequently, the National Works Agency (NWA) has to do more, as several sections of the town experience flooding regularly.
The culture of cleanliness in Mandeville has seriously been compromised. I am longing for the days when the streets of Mandeville were washed with disinfectant. Yes, that used to happen! I strongly desire to walk through the streets of Mandeville without having to be subjected to the sight of garbage pile-ups and the repulsive stench of sewage. I am calling on the NWA to act urgently and diligently in alleviating these issues and restoring Mandeville to its former grandeur.
PRUDENCE WILSON-BLAKE