Tighter environmental laws and more effective policing of them – that’s what the Environmental Health Department is promoting.
Chief Environmental Health Officer Anthony Scotland told a one day workshop focusing on “Training on Courtroom Procedures” that he is not satisfied with the work and output of law officers in his department when reporting on environmental crime.
“After we review the procedures, we realize that we are not satisfied with the areas of enforcement. We have done a lot of work in terms of education and service but you still go out and see a lot of people violating the law,” Scotland told participants.
“We need to let them know that we have legislation as part of our function,” he said.
According to the Chief Environmental Health Officer, the laws put in place to make the lives of people easier are not being enforced.
He wants developed a culture of law enforcement in Dominica.
“A lot of the times one of two people in a community can cause disruption to the health of other people. There is a human right for having good health but that can be impeded by the poor action of one’s neighbor or others in the community,” he added.
The health official said he was very concerned about air and noise contamination and the pollution of the country’s rivers.
He also highlighted occupational health and safety as another area which needs attention.
“We are hoping that the officers get more entwined with the laws governing environmental health,” Scotland added.
ADMIN my comment was a wake up call to Mr Scotland y didnt u print it
i think thas a very good idea
landfill workers are uneducated and don’t listen. You need to dig deeper. Remember we get tidy new articles. so you take every article at face value. The man had workers who don’t care and don’t listen. Look at the landfill now, it worst. The man was doing a good job with the resources at his disposal. we are so quick to judge we don’t even have a 360 degree idea of what’s really going on
“There is a human right for having good health but that can be impeded by the poor action of one’s neighbor or others in the community,” he added”
As long as the playing field remains unleveled in the country, the situation as you mentioned will not changed. You can create as much laws as possible to oppress the poor, but unless the playing field is set up in a way where everyone can enjoy life equally, the laws you create will not change anything.
If one lives in a 72 X 40 = 2880 square feet house, and the neighbor lives in a 16 X 12 = 192 square feet shack, with no hope of getting out of that shack, they lost hope, and live according to their circumstances, if you afford everybody the same opportunity to live on an equal level, you are compelled to experience some changes in behavior.
By the way what happen to the contract you signed with there supposedly California Recycling Company which was supposed to buy all of the garbage produced in Dominica?
You remember the Company the Grenada woman told you existed in the City of Solvang in Northern California, and when the Kid from Wesley went to the address given to you, I found out that the address is that of a residential property in a gated community.
I have pictures of the home, displaying the house number, I can make it available to you the same as I made it available to many Dominicans already.
Are you on another wild goose chase again?
I remember the official signing of your contract, or treaty with the Grenada girl on DNO, do you remember?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Poor Dominica!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
yes iam in total agreement with mr.scotland but let’s look at the big problem witch is the kind of people environmental health dpt have working with them witch is national pest and termite control headed by oliver.st.jhon and ferdian.greenerway who has no training in environmental health dosn’t even have a clue on wat taking place the only things these guys do is send out some poorly trained and paid workers to do some kind of bullshit servey and at the end of the month wait for there big pay check from goverment so you see where the problem is the big boys sit in there offices and send these poorly trained and poorly paid workers out there to work tell me how they are going to be effective tell me i want to know
i like your comment. in addition some officers from the department are unprofessional drink and curse up people during working hours. How can they emforce the environmental laws. if they come to my place i might ask hime to please leave
Is there a law relating to the burning of rubbish?
I’m asking because where I live rubbish is burnt on a daily basis.
This practise is anti-social, it is also bad for the environment, not to mention the health of those who suffer from chest complaints, asthma and other breathing difficulties.
We’re sure one neighbour burns the faeces of her three dogs, as the smell is unbelievable.
This practise might have been acceptable years ago, when houses were far apart, but not now.
Not only is the uncontrolled burning of household waste unpleasant and anti-social but it can be a serious health-hazard. Many modern materials, particularly plastics relase cargenogenic
particles into the atmosphere when burned without control. In other words, they can cause cancer!!
This practice should be strictly forbidden.
what we need to see posted all over the country’s roads and highways are signs saying, one thousand dollars fines for littering,and also employ more officers to drive and patrol the island.
We do have signs and the fine can be up to $5,000. Hopwever, I’ve never heard of anybody being taken to court for his, leave alone fined.
A dominician leaving abroad visiting for carnival,good job very said, we need as dominicains take a serious look of the dominica we all profess we love an keep it clean each one of us playing an actual part keeping it clean, another important factor garbage should not go out until the actual night or morning of garbage day .that will help keep a clean healthy environment and health people
thank you
Rubbish….these men are brave….this is the same office that tell his own inspectors to leave the chinese alone….his own inspectors write up the chinese behind the stadium for breaches of our environmental and health and safety laws and the man at the top says leave them alone….how can our law enforcement take their job seriously….wheel and come again….
I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU SIR!
Is this the same gentleman, who was in charge of Solid Waste Management when Hon. John Fabien stopped the indiscriminate burning of tires at the Fond Cole landfill site by that company, in Sept. 2009, because it constituted a serious health hazzard?
Environmental laws not effectively enforced……very well said, because right next to the Financial Centre, there’s a heap of stinking rubbish that is yet to be removed. All you hearing is….”we working on that.” ‘Cameras are watching’ saw it too.
That is so true and the office has been contacted a number of times about that heap of rubbish including pointing out the problem to him directly.
To date nothing has been done and to add insult to injury it is right in their backyard
Its rather an abomination that those persons who are vested with the powers to enforce the laws are complaining about a lack of enforcement.
Roseau is simply dirty
Just look at the PONG district so close to the CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION DISTRICT all what you se is a DIRTY NASTY ENVIRONMENT ! ITS SHAMEFUL !
RUBBISH MEN DONT HAVE PROPER GARMENTS!
Tourists are greeted with tonnes of raw garbage ( pu-pu) all of the time and we talking about making Da the best place for tourist in the caribbean ??????? you must be jocking your karl !!!!!
The givernment is clear not serious about cleaning up the mess that is in ROSO…the whole town is smelling peee-pee! Braod daylight big day you will find garbage containers overflowing with stuff and no one seems to be concerned.
As a teacher I always speak to my students about the importance of cleanliness of self , environment and our homes etc. Some people are naturally untidy in the way they carry themselves but as a nation we have to do better than that.
I think we need of national consultaton on such an issue and parliament can lead the way in this regard. Its my earnest view that the minister of health must resign and should be held fully responsible for the dirtiness which exists in the city of Roseau. The Town stinks alot…too many run down buildings, poor sidewalks, old drains. Roseau is in need of a serious facelift. Would it not have been better if a portion of the 27 million would be used to do something about the unhealthy nature of our capital !!! A new rubbish truck better equipment for sanitary workers etc
Some people are just seating in office and drawing big money with nothing to show for it…..what a big waste!
Too much lazy people in dominica get up and find jobs to clean up ous environment! I think that a greater effort must be made to take heed of what Hon Prevost has to say. He does have good intentions and he has agenuine love for the city. unlike those who are only into talk talk talk and more talk !
Its nice that am into someone who is in parliament and as a result I can communicate my concerns to him in many ways so that we will be a better community!!!!
I dont know why is it that some people walk the road as if they have nothing to do……some get on or give the impression as if theyre mental but thats representative of the poor state of the economy under this wickid regime of DLP. You can actually feeel the tension and see it on the BU-WAY and definite STRESSFUL faces of some people. But thats modern day Dominica for you. The system makes the weak ones fall thru the cracks and family cannot help and society is selfish. Some deal with OBEAH for solutions and to find out things.. Consulting spirits is not the way forward and mant church goers young and old are into this ! Sad story ! So alot of us are superstitiously suspicious and hence the environment in our heads needs cleansing..we blame the world for our demise and we just dont try to move on with our lives. I believe thefeore that this DLP Government has failed the people of dominica as far as it relates to cleanliness and the minister must resign!
Senator Woman, I agree with you to a certain extent but the Government is not the answer to all of lifes problems.
The Government has designated people in authority to look into all affairs and these stewards are to be blamed heavily because they have failed Dominica.
A simple solution is to sensitise the the business of Roseau so that they can clean their sidewalks
I am surprised. Why are the businesses in Roseau charged rates by the City Council if they have to be responsible for keeping public property clean themselves? Is this a new regulation?
You are commenting on people not doing their jobs, however as a teacher (no matter the subject)you should give more consideration to your grammar and spelling. Lead by example.
Scotland knows that he must address “those high in society” who flaunt the health and environment laws while he ties the hands of the system to be able sit in the company of the white collar law breakers while soliciting their favour.
These individuals who find thmselves in such position are good only at giving speeches because they are very selective in their sense of justice…alot of hypocrites in governance of all forms
To start, in some instances there are no laws so there cannot be enforcement. In other instances we have laws without supporting regulations. And when we do get regulations we do not have a proper mechanism in place to ensure effective enforcement. In some cases the laws are too weak or lenient so that they do not create adequate deterrent to possible offenders.There had been so much lobbying for Environmental Laws and now that we have a few there is very little or no enforcement. One law that comes to mind is the Litter Act. I would like to know how many offenders have been charged so far since that law was passed? It must be revised to ensure that the Law Officers(Police)are actively involved in the enforcement. There are very few litter wardens and the authorized officers do not have the power of arrest.
We have restaurant regulations but food establishments are still not up to standard because the entity who is supposed to regulate them, the Department of Environmental Health, is being short changed by the Inland Revenue Department.I say so because Inland Revenue Dept licenses these establishments many of which would not satisfy the requirements for operating as a food service establishment yet they are licensed non-the-less without the input of the Environmental Health Department.
There is so much more that I can talk about but time does not permit me to do so here.
I wish Mr Scotland good luck with the work at hand but the Department need some more teeth so that it can bite.