Submitted by Anthony Davis
HOUSEHOLDERS ARE being urged not to burn rubbish or other debris around their homes. “Speaking after smoke from an early morning rubbish fire in the nearby district of Farm Tenantry, St. Peter, prevented classes from starting at the Alexandra School yesterday, Acting Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard told the WEEKEND NATION that the practice was one that he and the members of the Fire Service would like to douse – Barbados Today
Well, well, well! Here we go again with this burning issue. Successive ministers of health in this Government have promised legislation to deal with the indiscriminate burning of rubbish by people in this country. As usual, all it has become is just another promise. I don’t know who the Government will try to blame this time or which minister will blame the other for hindering the necessary bill from being brought to Parliament for discussion.
This burning needs to be stopped immediately as it not only affects those who live, work or, in this case, go to school – whether teachers, students or auxiliary staff. I find it very callous for people to be burning stuff without a care about who has to suffer. The persons who may be affected may not even live, work or go to school in proximity of the burning, but may be travelling through the area by one means or the other.
My main concern is for those children who suffer from asthma as they can have a bad attack and need immediate treatment. The same goes for the elderly. I think that those people who cause others to spend time and money at the doctor should be made to refund them. It is reprehensible to do things without caring about your neighbours. It is high time that this Government stands by its promise and puts laws on the statute books prohibiting the burning of stuff indiscriminately. This law must have teeth!
A slap on the wrist will not do as the ones burning the stuff do not care one iota about whom it affects. We also have to look at those vehicles which spew clouds of black smoke from diesel engines into the atmosphere. There is a type of catalytic converter which can be fitted into diesel vehicles which would decrease considerably the amount of diesel particulates which get into the atmosphere. We cannot continue to talk about reducing CNCDs only by eating healthy and exercising regularly.
On page 6 of Barbados TODAY, dated 30 January, 2015, under the headline “Foundation combating CNCDs” it states that the Heart and Stroke Foundation is moving to put a dent in the number of chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) in Barbados through a new partnership with the Mavericks Football Club. It further states: “From next month, the two organizations will host a number of programmes aimed at sensitizing children and their parents about the importance of education, how to shop for nutritious food and provide cooking tips.”
In the BBC NEWS SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT dated 19 November, 2014 it states: “Nitrogen dioxide in cities (British) is illegally high and the European Court of Justice ruled judges must force ministers to clean up the air as soon as possible. The pollutant comes almost entirely from diesel vehicles.”
Physical activities and eating nutritious food are all well and good, but if the air – which we all have to breathe – is polluted we are still all up the creek without a paddle.
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