January 22^nd, 2018 Kent House, Maraval – Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Haji Kazim Hosein is calling on the Public Health Departments and Litter Wardens in all fourteen (14) Municipal Corporations to tackle the problem of illegal dumping across the country. “Recent posts to social media, such as the one showing individuals dumping tyres on the roadside, indicate that illegal dumping is a rampant problem in this country, and that the perpetrators have blatant disrespect for both our environment and our laws. I have reached out to the Corporations to ensure that the Public Health Departments and Litter Wardens will investigate this, and all cases of illegal dumping, find the responsible parties, and bring them to justice.”

Illegal dumping, along with being unsightly, brings with it a host of public health problems, such as encouraging breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rodents and other vermin, creating hazardous spaces close to residential areas, blocking watercourses and rivers, and causing fire hazards. These spaces also attract continued indiscriminate dumping.

Minister Hosein urges all citizens to continue reporting instances of illegal dumping to their Municipal Corporations in order to keep our communities clean and restore our sense of national pride. He further reminds the public to use only authorized dump sites to maintain the cleanliness and safety of our surroundings.

January 1^st, 2018 Kent House, Maraval – After traversing through severely impacted areas such as Caroni, Woodland, Barrackpore, St. Helena, Piarco, Caparo, Sangre Grande and Rio Claro, one of the contributors leading to flooding was identified as illegal dumping of garbage into the major drains and waterways.

Minister of Rural Development and Local Government and Acting Minister of Works and Transport Haji Kazim Hosein is urging citizens to take heed and report any cases of illegal dumping to their respective Municipal Corporations saying, “Illegal dumping is a serious issue and we as a people must work together to stop persons from throwing garbage through their car windows, on the roads and especially in waterways. Improper disposal of debris is one of the leading causes of flooding as the garbage causes drains to become clogged and prevents the run-off of water. In order for this problem to be resolved, we must obey the laws of our country and properly dispose our garbage.”

Let us be mindful of our surroundings and make every effort to keep our communities and by extension our beloved country clean by reporting illegal dumping and spreading the message of the adverse effects of littering.

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