Mayor of the City of Roseau, Her Worship Irene John, says the City Council may have to resort to installing cameras in the capital as a deterrent to littering.
Littering has been a longstanding challenge for the City Council.
Mayor John believes that the issue is more about the behavior of citizens than the Council’s limitations.
“We are concerned that the cruise ship is here, the tourists are here and the city is dirty but who [is responsible for making the city dirty?] My main concern is us,” she said.
Still, the Council continues to work hard to combat the issue of littering.
City Overseer, Thomas Baptiste, who is responsible for the general upkeep of the municipality, spoke about some of these initiatives.
“We are collaborating with the Environmental Health Department and the Solid Waste Management Corporation and from time to time we meet to strategise,” he said. “We have also hired, through the National Employment Programme, five Litter Wardens to be on the beat all the time. They are doing patrols within the boundaries of the city of Roseau, particularly the centre. Their primary objective is to sensitize the public.”
He says these strategies have yielded signs of improvement.
It is the Council’s hope that initiatives like these can be continued and broadened in order to continue improving sanitation in the city.
Additionally, the Mayor is adamant that if citizens adhere to the Litter Act, the City will be much cleaner.
“We have laws governing the country,” she says. “And we must all abide by the laws. They are not for one, they are for all of us.”
Boy, Roseau is one pissoir. We complain about stray dogs but we our selves are far worse, lets be honest.
Bring back the town bord….
They were the city council (paper) policemen. It was only men.They were dressed in khaki outfits. Khaki shirts and short pants, with the same color sucks all the way up to their knees, black shining shoes. The same color hats, like the ones used in Britain by the police.
They were very serious,they did not play, especially Mr. Solomon, he lived on Upper lane.
They got the job done…they drag folks before the magistrate.
Please fine the people that litter, if they cannot pay then have them do community service. Have them clean the streets they helped to litter.
Decent, respectable people do not urinate on the streets and behind buildings, etc. Under normal circumstances their pride will not allow them to do such a thing.
The Mayor must educate these people who litter and urinate on the streets. They may not have TV, Radio and Internet. They may also not read the newspapers, cannot afford it and cannot read. Therefore, these people must somehow be reached and educated.
Most have sense. They must be given a strict warning that if they are caught they will be fined. Emphasize to them, if they cannot afford to pay the fine, they will spend a day/night or a few of them in prison or in detention.
Unless something stringent is done, more than talking, Roseau will never be clean and caring D/cans will continue to be ashamed and embarrassed of it.
If this dirty, smelly unhealthy trend continues tourists and other visitors will stay away from D/ca in general.
They call it a City. Then it should look and smell as a City.
….i didnt know you were the mayorette…..lawd have his mercy……congrats and good luck hun
There are ticket book citations and fines under the Litter Act.
But I am not aware of anyone being formally charged in the last 6 years….
Look out, these people will steal the cameras and you will be out the money. Security walkers with walkie talkies are probably a better way to go, but they will have to go in pairs or groups as you never know what you may encounter. That should actually be the role of the police to cut down on crime. Most of them seem to have an 8-4 job.
The biggest problem in Dominica is attitude. The attitude of “I don’t care.” and the attitude of “entitlement.” When these 2 attitudes get corrected, there will be less problems. This is not the community of 35 yrs. ago when people actually worked hard, there was less theft and they could honestly be proud.
Maybe start by installing waste bins and having a public education advertising campaign. This is all that is needed. Cameras on Roseau street corners sounds rather Skerritesque!
Jungle have you not seen the green bins around Roseau. Yes Madame Mayor camera’s are need and we need to slap a charge on someone so they will see it is not a joke. These people like to litter too much.
Laudable comments Mayor but why not issue fines like the police do with their ticketing for parking offences? That will also bring in revenue. Don’t be afraid, just do it!
We need more public bathrooms dont throw stones in the toilet some thing has to be done nowRoseau looks like Haiti already.
In any civilized country you will always have law breakers the answer you need a litter patrol who will law and order and fine people for breaking the law, the country is going to the dogs and thats not good. Its in every country where you have black people? Why do we have to be told or controled fingers. ? Do you think we are still slaves in our minds? How can that problem be solved , we call dominica the nature island do people know what that meant. That beautiful island is going to be destroyed by black prople. Know one talks to each other about that problem. Miss john I which you luck.
What do you mean by “Its in every country where you have black people” and “that beautiful island is going to be destroyed by black people”? Your remarks are highly offensive. I have a problem with folks who do do not think before they talk. Can you tell be who the majority the inhabitants of Dominica have been since the slave trade? Do not disrespect my race please. I would use some stronger/harsher words to convey my feelings to describe your statements, but DNO would rightfully “kibosh” my comments. Yes we have a major littering problem that we need to address; therefore stick to the issue and provide recommendations.
Race is nothing. People make something out of nothing just to pit each other against each other. Wake up. Nobody gets to chose their skin color.
Are you not black as well? It’s people like you who dispise your own kind and uplift your enemies, the Europeans. Who gives you the audacity to condemn black people? We have been programmed to hate our race and love the white race. (The Willie Lynch Syndrome).. That is why our women wear the fake hair, eyelashes and even blue contact lenses to look like massa. Do you think that other races are cleaner than the black race? Read about the European’s history during the middle ages and you will find out that they did not even bathe. If they do not wash their they will get lice. If you knew your history you would not condemn your own kind but rather you would try to elevate their minds. Just because some black people have decided to live their lives a certain way does not give you the right to categorise all black people. Dr. John Henrik Clarke said, ” stand in front of the mirror and don’t move until you love what you see. Learn to appreciate your own race instead of another.
Oh is that so South City? I always cringe when I hear our rappers use that word n….r and other offensive language to describe our women. Why do we accept that as if it’s normal but when when someone from another race does that we all go mad and cry disrespect and prejudice, which it is. But we must respect ourselves first if we expect respect from others.
This is not a matter of despising your own kind, it is a matter of dealing with all of the detrimental, destructive, thieving types that have become predominant in Dominica. For your information, the African blacks were the first to enslave their own people, so don’t be putting it off on any other race. The other races dropped them places AFTER they were rounded up by their own people. It is time the real history came out.
If you refer to Europeans as “enemies” then your mental programming is no better than Jack’s.
Be careful, never to generalize. Generally, decent, considerate and clean folks do not litter. Littering has its people. They rank among some non-caring people. I am sorry to say, some are illiterate and the lower class of people.
This has nothing to do with the race for those of one race are not one and the same in upbringing and status.
There is a standard joke which some people are not aware of. In the office, if a staff member drops something, the person could be told, “You dropped something.” It really is said in a sarcastic manner. Depending on the person’s mood, he/she could either get angry or laugh.
If it is noticed when some people litter, simply make the same statement to them, “You dropped something” and note their reaction; unless they throw it into the distance. People have a habit of throwing cans and bottle from a distance.
Just as there are patrol officers, there should be patrol and/or undercover ones to arrest those who litter. Fine them if they…
Mayor not garbage alone the city stinks also from urine,put more public restrooms in the city and some of the restaurants do not have any restrooms for patrons.
All restaurant should have a restroom and another thing the owners do not like to have people use their restroom. You at a restaurant or at another business place and the business owners do no like to make the patrons use the washrooms. All Hair dressing Salons too but again the persons do not like to make persons use their washroom. It should be mandatory
This is another matter which should be changed. All restaurants and fast food outlets should have a washroom and a clean one. In fact, all business places which serve customers should have a washroom. If customers want to use a washroom urgently, what are they to do and where are they to go?
Some grocery stores, if big enough, should also have washrooms.
The problem with those businesses, it could be stipulated “only for customers.”
You do not have high rise business buildings in D/ca. All of these have washrooms, a few of them on each floor that business visitors and others could use, should they need to.