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Dear Editor,
We are known as the Nature Island of the Caribbean and we boast of our greenness and all other good natural vibes.
We also boast of having 365 rivers adding that they are crystal clear and safe for swimming.
However, I was shocked the other day when crossing the Dominica/China Friendship Bridge (the new bridge close to the market) to see the amount of garbage accumulating under it.
To make matter worst, I saw many tourists from a cruise ship taking photos of the Roseau River from the bridge.
This clearly shows that as Dominicans we don’t dispose our garbage properly.
This is rather shameful because Dominica is marketed as basically clean and green.
I am calling on the authorities to do something about this.
I am also calling all Dominicans to be more aware of our surroundings and dispose our garbage properly.
Photos of the garbage under the bridge are included.
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there we go again!!! its not da mayor or da police or the pm or anybody else to clean up after us!!! point of fact is we dominicans too damn nasty with our trash!!! simple as dat. wen we throw our trash out our window it doesnt mysteriously dissapear people, it ends up in somebody else yard or on the street or in the river and on the beaches. lets learn to take responsibility for our actionsand stop blame mayors and parl reps and prime ministers!!! FOR GOODNESS SAKES
This Nature Island of the Caribbean (NIC) slogan is a real joke and makes a mockery of what natural and beautiful is all about. While this slogan sounds good, just saying we are the Nature Island of the Caribbean is definitely not enough. If Dominicans, believe we are the NIC, then we must all play our part as individuals in keeping it that way, but the onus is on the government to allocate the necessary resources to ensure we can achieve that as a nation. As a result, all must be done in a sustained manner by way of education, manpower, equipment and legislation to establish a culture that enforces a deep respect for the environment. But guess what? This labour party government under Roosevelt Skerrit is too busy trying to remain in power for the next 50 years, so financial resources which can be rationalized and allocated in helping to keep Dominica clean and green are given to supports of the labour party every Wednesday at the Red Clinic. Additionally, these resources go towards buying plywood, toilets, fertilizer and other bribes in an effort to keep this incompetent, inept and corrupt on government on the backs of the hard working and politically conscious Dominican.
Student.
Hello and good afternoon my people. Hi why don’t you get some other students and volunteer on a Saturday or Sunday and help clean up. When ever I visit I always volunteer in my village where we cut the grass by the street and we plant trees so stop waiting for Government and help clean up. Thanks.
I live in ST marten and there special effort is made to clean the beaches at least twice a year by the various environmental groups, Do we have these groups in DOMINICA, Or do we have service clubs in Dominica, they too can help.
Having said that, we as a people must take pride in our Isles of Beauty, we cannot just throw bottles, plastic, paper etc etc at random, government to must do it’s part by placing strategic signage stressing a clean Dominica.
In the end is we the people who must make the effort to keep Dominica Clean.
JOBS–JOBS –JOBS– JOBS –JOBS: —-
—MIN: OFF TOURIST ,.. SET UP DAILY clean-team’s —–
———————–all over the island.—————————–
controle the JOB —- and paid .
Hello and good afternoon my people. Why can’t the Police Department enforce the Laws in regards to littering. If they can’t then the Sanitation Department should have the power to issue summons for littering. It saddens me when I visit to see how they used the side of the river like its their bathroom and the trash piles up by the mouth of the river. We can do better a specially when we promote our country as the nature isles so please let’s work together and make some positive change.
Good topic to comment on. Dominicans believe other people have to take care of their garbage for them. They empty a container and leave it any where it’s like it’s not theirs anymore. I am fed up with that education thing that people still talk about on this matter. It is time that action should replace education. All Dominicans are well educated about disposal of garbage. So what has to done is you are caught disposing garbage indiscriminately should pay
We in Dominica need to start cleaning up our act. How can we be so disgusting as to throw rubbish in the streets, rivets and beaches? Youth groups could assist, this way it encourages our young to maintain a clean environment. STOP depending on Government to do everything for us. They are not our slave masters. Take pride in our Island. Not only for visitors, but for ourselves. Businesses should contribute by providing bins and also ensuring that the areas outside their business is kept clean. There should be people employed around the country to help clean up the rivers, beaches and sideroads. We can do more, so let’s do it!
Unless the Roseau Rep introduce litter bin around Roseau to drop litter the people will just continue to dump it on the street or rivers.
When last have you been to town ma’am.. there are green litter bins all around town. Sometimes I go into restaurants and throw my little paper page or wrapper in their trash.
While on vacation in DA for the Xmas period, I took a picture of garbage piled-up at Wotten waven, directly on the spot where tourists arrive.
first thing they see of the so-called “nature island” is a bunch of waste and garbage;
I sent the pic to tourism office, tourism ministry, NDC, … not one of them replied !!!
take a look at portsmouth …..the swamp + opposit from it
“cotton hill “—“bell hall” . not the hikers do so .
————SOME DOMINICANS DO ALWAYS SO —————–
What a shame. The tourists were taking pictures of that area. When they return they will show those pictures to others. There goes D/ca’s reputation of a clean and green country.
Something drastic should be done about this. These people need to be educated about cleanliness, littering and not throwing garbage in the river. This is no place to throw garbage. Keep the river clean, healthy and free of garbage!
This situation should be addressed to the Mayor. Those who reside near that area should be held accountable. They should be spoken to.
The Mayor should hold a town hall meeting or just a general meeting. If this is not possible, prepare a directive, with a warning, make photocopies and hand them to those people who reside nearby. Inform them that if caught they will be prosecuted. They want a clean town, area and river, they should keep them clean.
We have to realize that whatever we do to “Nature Island” will come back to hunt us. We eat fish from the sea and river, we swim in the waters, when the pipes are not working in our homes, where do we go to bathe and drink water. So when we put garbage in the ground and in the waters, you bet your bottom dollar, we will pay for that.
Also cleanliness is next to Godliness. I know too many of us who dress nice to be on the road, but when we go to their homes, you would not imagine how they live. Lets take care of the blessings we have from God when it comes to Mother Nature Island and it will do the same in return.
As a frequent visitor to your island I have noticed the trash on city streets and abandoned vehicles about the countryside. I was very suprised and a little dismayed but trash is everwhere…Dominica is still much cleaner than most of the world. In reality it is not toolate to embark on a program to clean up. How about having an annual Island clean up day…get everone involved. It wouldn’t take much. What about an anti littering campaign?
Anyway I was happy to see a couple of trash cans last time I was in Roseau.
The picture is bad but you still have a beautiful enchanting island
there is such a day.. it is called national day of community service and occurs annually during the independence season. village councils, NGOs, corporate volunteers etc. organize clean ups especially of heavy equipment and derelict vehicles
Face it the island is a dump. people treat it like they treat others. like a dump.
Cleanliness doesn’t end with disposal of our cups and plastic wrappers. Dominica has a systemic problem with maintaining its beauty. For example take a drive up to Stockfarm to the College. The roadside is full of garbage, derilict equipment, rusty galvanize, heaps of old bush and twigs in between uncut grass, old tires that are misguidingly placed as some some of flower pot but ALWAYS turn into an eyesore and mosquito breeding ground. Most of our surroundings are not maintained. The grass along most roadsides are cut what maybe twice a year? Everywhere you look weeds are growing in the gutters and sidewalks with no one cleaning them up. All the debris collects, blocks the drains and bridges then we have flooding. When is this going to be fixed?
Stockfarm people can clean their area to eh… Im just saying.. all along the road is homes … they should take pride in their own community and if is every month-end come toegether and clean up the area.
People have no real pride in this country anymore. It is a country of gimme this and gimme that for nothing. Instant gratification and lack of respect. Non-thinking people that just throw their trash out the car window without thinking. Who do they thing is going to pick it up? They don’t care. The island of ‘I don’t care. I’m just goin to live my life.’
They could put the prison work force out on the roads cleaning up this island and fine the trashers. But hey, they police are too busy riding around in their vehicles all day not solving any crimes.
People 40 yrs. ago all cleaned their land. Now, children are only taught about gadgets in school. That needs to change because they want to eat, but they have no idea of how they will do it (except to steal from others) if they have to respect for agriculture and actually get involved in it..
The authorities need to continuously EDUCATE people (starting at preschool) to keep the environment clean, and at the same PROSECUTE persons and have them clean portions of the roadways when convicted and make such convictions very very public
imagine today I was saying to a college student …we Dominicans like to talk about we from the nature isle but we do not take ownership of what it truly means…. “nature isle” wont stay that way if we don’t make an effort to keep it so…
I think it needs to start with a change in mindset… we need to practice discipline in how me maintain our homes and yards and it will translate into the wider community.
I commend the bus drivers who have the small trash cans at the front of their vehicles. Its a start but we have ways to go.
I really hope something can be done to change this litterbug culture….
it’s not only river, it’s also beaches, only Caribbean country I see to date that does not take pride in keeping their country clean, every beach I’ve known in Dominica must have rubbish…
Dominicans have a litter culture. Throw it in the river, throw it in the bush, out of sight, out of mind. I wonder how some of them keep their homes….. They need to start thinking of the bigger picture
yep its been happening,our people have become so dependent on processed food,main cause of the garbage.
Real development starts when the people decide to change their mentality towards nationhood. Most Dominicans seem to still embrace the view that disposing of garbage in public places is acceptable because it does not hurt anyone and it certianly is not in their yard. So, dump away!
This uneducated and prehistoric mentaility must change if we are to move forward.
That’s apalling we must do something quick to clean up this area. How can we be soo nasty to not see that?
i agree we as a public need to do something about that we don’t need to wait for solid waste to do for us
This is a positive contribution – I wish I was on the island to organize a clean up brigade.
As youth when we were growing up – we organized ourselves into youth groups (Goodwill Progressive Movement), becoming members of the NYC (former PM Pierre Charles was President then) and we took on community projects year round – for example – we raised money and built King Square opposite Popeye next to PMH – the new retaining wall & gutter to prevent the problem it was;
I call on a Roseau / Pottersville / Goodwill youth group to take on this garbage project as a civic duty – clean it up – for the good name of our country!
This has to stop .Place a poster stating that rubbish or litter should not be thrown on the this site and any one who is caught dumping waste on this site will be prosecuted.
Dominicans ignore those signs. The problem is enforcement. Let them go to China and be caught doing that . Early education is the key. Pound it in kids head. A lot of guys pee on the side of the road to. As a man, the only time I can do such thing is if there is no toilet and I can find myself inside some bush. Not even a candy wrap I will dispose outside a garbage bin.
These people can’t read and even if they can, they don’t care.
This is so filthy! Rather disgusting! We as a people must take responsibility for our actions and stop depending on Government to solve all our problems. Where are we heading to as a people? We complain about invasion of privacy, however, based on this eye sore, it seems like we are asking for law enforcers to protect our resources. I am nauseated. Shame!
We should not clean or dispose of garbage properly because of tourists or international reputation. Rather we should have proper sanitation everywhere because it is the healthy, safe and right thing to do as matter of principle. Everyone has to shoulder responsibility, but education, facilities (bins, trucks etc), and systematic monitoring and enforcement is also helpful. For example, the public has to know that it is unacceptable to dump stuff anywhere, particularly now when there are more bins available publicly. So too, must people have the gumption to say to an offender: “don’t dump that there!” . Can we not have a simple message here and there saying : “let’s all help keep the city clean”? How many radio programs/talk shows/public ads do we have on the topic? There are lots of forces at play here, but measures do not have to be expensive. Even the school kids can take the message home. There must be a strong strategy in environmental health.But also, pride in country and self can go a long way!