Increased fine for illegal dumping is not the single solution to flooding, Pringle and Symister say

Following the flooding that took place on Saturday, June 15, and again on
Monday, June 17, the Cabinet is laying blame on those persons who engage in
illegal dumping, causing the debris to block the drains and waterways.
Cabinet’s solution to this recurring situation is a proposal to increase the fine
for this offence to $40,000.

However, Jamale Pringle, political leader of the United Progressive Party
(UPP) believes the Executive is dodging its responsibility.
He notes that the perpetrators are not undertaking the illegal activity in plain
sight. Therefore, before the increased fine can be levied, the persons doing

the dumping first have to be caught and prosecuted – and the authorities
really are not looking for them, he says.

UPP spokesman Leon Chaku Symister is also critical of the Cabinet’s response
to the problem. He points out that – despite the Administration’s claim of
knowing where the illegal dump sites are located – there has been no effort at
surveillance in order to prosecute and deter offenders.

He believes this is because the large trucks used for dumping – usually of
construction waste – are owned by some Cabinet ministers, themselves.
Meanwhile, Pringle is asking why Minister of Public Works Maria Browne and
Environment Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph are not looking to increase the
frequency with which the drains are cleaned and the waterways are cleared –
and doing so ahead of the Hurricane Season.

He notes that the recent flooding of the gutter on Vivian Richards Street
occurred during the hosting of World Cup Cricket at the stadium named for
the country’s only living National Hero, and this was a national
embarrassment.

Since the flooding in the vicinity of the monument to Sir Vivian, the gutters
reportedly have been cleared of the debris, which included discarded bottles
and even old household appliances.