More than five tonnes of waste, including fridges, stoves and washing machines, have been hauled from gullies in the past four months under a $5 million government project designed to restore ecosystems, curb illegal dumping and protect biodiversity, the Ministry of Environment said Friday.
The clean-up formed part of the Gullies Are Life National Gully Rehabilitation Project.
At a press conference at the ministry’s Warrens headquarters, Rohan Payne, project coordinator in the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Department, outlined the progress of the Integrated Gullies Ecosystem Management Project and the Gullies Are Life Project, both of which address ecological health and solid waste removal.
“You guys will be aware that that is an integrated programme that’s managed by the ministry. We were looking at assessing both the ecological health and the state of solid waste in gullies. That project would have formally commenced this April,” Payne said.
The programme operates on “two primary prongs”: one team conducts ecological assessments, surveying “about five kilometres of gully” while identifying areas that need remediation.
“That involves the removal of unwanted species, primarily vegetation, as well as pulling out solid waste,” Payne added. “At our last check, we’ve pulled out about 2.5 tonnes of municipal solid waste… In addition to that, we’ve pulled out just over three tonnes of bulky waste… fridges, stoves, washing machines… within the last three to four months.”
Payne acknowledged some resource challenges but remained optimistic: “I don’t want to say setbacks, but… we’re utilising shared resources, so sometimes our resources will assist the team doing sargassum removal… but obviously for a good cause. We expect to meet our targets going forward, and the programme is so far working quite well.”
He highlighted ongoing personnel training and listed priority areas already addressed, including the Belle area, Storey Gap, Bucks, Jackson, Jack-in-the-Box Gully, Coffee Gully, Russia Gully, Cane Garden and Bibby’s Lane: “We’re already tackling gullies based on the need… we are trying to focus on areas that are in the most critical need of remediation, and then we’ll move out to areas that are less impacted.”
To discourage illegal dumping, he revealed plans for security cameras: “Those areas for cameras in a number of circumstances have been identified… we’ve not yet commenced procurement, but we expect that will be done during this financial year.”
Minister of Environment Adrian Forde underscored the broader significance of preserving Barbados’ ecosystems, citing the potential for medical breakthroughs from native flora.
He urged citizens to embrace environmental stewardship: “We can only discover these things if we have the presence of mind to preserve that which is natural, to preserve our ecosystems and to rebuild our biodiversity. The importance of this must never be underestimated. You may be killing a species that is found only in this country.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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