Manickchand signals strong action to tackle Georgetown waste management

Concerns over Georgetown’s deteriorating sanitation conditions came into sharp focus on Monday, as the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (GM&CC) held separate engagements and outlined differing approaches to addressing the city’s waste management crisis.

Local Government Minister Priya Manickchand signalled that Central Government will take a more direct role in addressing drainage maintenance, garbage collection, vendor management and beautification in the capital, citing persistent governance challenges at City Hall.

According to Manickchand, repeated efforts to work collaboratively with the Mayor and City Council have failed, with significant gaps between public pronouncements and private discussions.

“The President has said very clearly that his administration is going to rescue Georgetown. I thought we could do that collaboratively, and I’ve been proven wrong,” the Minister said.
“I ask the residents and users, business owners and visitors to Georgetown to join us as we deliberately engage in making your capital city a place where you can live wholesomely, traverse easily, stay healthy in and enjoy public spaces.”

Manickchand also announced that public engagements will be conducted as part of the new approach. She noted that while Central Government already manages most of Georgetown’s infrastructure, including roads and drainage, garbage collection remains the responsibility of the City Council, despite the city collecting approximately $2.5 billion annually in taxes.

A scheduled meeting between the Minister and the GM&CC on Monday did not take place after the Mayor and APNU councillors failed to attend. Tensions between APNU councillors and Central Government have been a recurring issue since the inception of the current council. On Sunday, Manickchand also took to social media, criticising the state of the city and what she described as a lack of meaningful effort by the GM&CC to address the sanitation crisis.

In response, Mayor Alfred Mentore, in a separate social media post, argued that the City Council continues to be undermined by Central Government.

Following their boycott of the ministerial meeting, APNU councillors later attended a special statutory meeting of the GM&CC, where a motion was passed outlining the council’s response to the garbage situation.

Director of Solid Waste Management, Walter Narine, told the meeting that garbage levels have increased by approximately 16 per cent, driven by an influx of residents during the Christmas season, mechanical challenges with garbage trucks and reduced workforce availability over the holidays.

To address the situation, the council approved a plan that includes emergency solid waste management measures, strengthened anti-littering policies, increased enforcement and public sensitisation. The plan also allows for the deployment of additional equipment, the short-term engagement of private waste contractors and the approval of an immediate emergency clean-up exercise.

Mentore said enforcement against illegal dumping will be intensified through joint patrols, the issuance of notices and fines, and the use of public reporting mechanisms.